Pokanoket Wampanoag Leaders

This section is devoted to the leaders of the Pokanoket Wampanoag nation, both past up to the present. Webster's Dictionary states that a Leader is the following:

 2: a person who leads: as a: guide, conductor (1): a person who directs a military force or unit (2): a person who has commanding authority or influence (1):  a party member chosen to manage party activities in a legislative body (2)  : such a party member presiding over the whole legislative body when the party constitutes a majority (1)  : conductor (2): a first or principal performer of a group

With that being said; Great Leaders don't only lead through making great speeches and saying what    people only want to hear.  They lead by their example to those around them through their own course of action, setting in motion the events to make their words come to life to accomplish the tasks and achieving the goals they set for all of us to succeed.  What better examples of leadership are needed than that of our ancestors for our current leaders to look to as an inspiration in all that they do, with the help of the Great Creator.  To make their decisions through His wisdom and enlightnement for the betterment of our people.

List of Pokanoket Wampanoag Leaders

MASSASOIT OUSAMEQUIN

MASSASOT WAMSUTTA, KING ALEXANDER POKANOKET

MASSASOIT METACOMET, POMETACOM, METACOM KING PHILIP

MASSASOIT OUSAMEQUIN 

Massasoit Sachem or Ousamequin (c.1581-c.1661), was the Great Leader of the Pokanoket, and "Massasoit" of the Pokanoket Nation. The term Massasoit actually means Great Leader.

Biography

Early years

Massasoit Ousamequin was in Montaup, a Pokanoket village at the site of today's Warren and Bristol, Rhode Island. He held the allegiance of a multitude of lesser Pokanoket sachems. Massasoit Ousamequin visited Plymouth in 1621 and negotiated a treaty guaranteeing the English their security in exchange for their alliance against the Narragansett. Massasoit Ousamequin actively sought the alliance since two significant outbreaks of smallpox brought by the English had devastated the Pokanoket during the previous six years.

He was commonly known as Massasoit Ousamequin , but he was called by many other names, including: Woosamequin, Asuhmequin, Oosamequen, Osamekin, Owsamequin, Owsamequine, and Ussamequen.

Forging Peace

According to English sources, Massasoit Ousamequin prevented the failure of Plymouth Colony and the almost certain starvation that the Pilgrims faced during the earliest years of the colony's establishment. Moreover, Massasoit Ousamequin forged critical political and personal ties with the colonial leaders John Carver, Stephen Hopkins, Edward Winslow, William Bradford, and Myles Standish which culminated in a negotiated peace treaty on March 22, 1621. Massasoit Ousamequin's alliance ensured that the Pokanoket remained neutral during the Pequot War in 1636.

Massasoit Ousamequin's children

During this politically promising time, Massasoit Ousamequin had five children: "Moanam", or Wamsutta, also known as "Alexander", who was born around 1621 shortly after the pilgrims arrived in the Mayflower; Pometacomet, Metacomet, or Metacom, also known as "Philip"; a third son, Sonkanuchoo; and two daughters, one named Amie and one whose name the English failed to record. Massasoit Ousamequin's eldest son, Wamsutta (Alexander), became the Great Leader of the Pokanoket on the death of his father. After the death of Massasoit Wamsutta, Metacomet succeeded him in 1662.

An uneasy alliance

After his recovery, Winslow maintained that Massasoit Ousamequin now saw that "the English are my friends and love me." Moreover, Winslow also noted that Massasoit Ousamequin felt duty-bound to observe that "whilst I live I will never forget this kindness they have showed me."

In 1659, Massasoit Ousamequin sold a tract of land to Miles Standish and others of Duxbury.

Consequences of alliance

For nearly forty years, the Pokanoket and the English of Massachusetts Bay Colony maintained an increasingly uneasy peace until Massasoit Ousamequin's death. Throughout this time, and in order to maintain the peace, Massasoit Ousamequin sold lands which the English insisted on having.

It is unclear when Massasoit Ousamequin died. Some accounts claim that Massasoit Ousamequin died as early as 1660; others contend that he died as late as 1662. Very likely, Massasoit Ousamequin was anywhere from eighty to ninety years old at the time. When Massasoit Ousamequin died, his son Wamsutta (Alexander) became his successor, but when Massasoit Wamsutta also died in 1662, Metacomet (Philip) succeeded him. Unfortunately, of Massasoit Ousamequin's five children, the only child to survive King Philip's War in 1676 was his daughter, Amie, wife of Tispaquin.

Legacy

During his reign as the Great Leader, Massasoit Ousamequin never permitted the Pokanoket to convert to Christianity, and with great diplomatic skill, managed to stay such efforts. Perhaps unsurprisingly however, the half century of peace that Massasoit Ousamequin so assiduously negotiated collapsed soon after his death. Breaking with his father's diplomacy, and in response to increasing depredations into Pokanoket territory by his ally, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Massasoit Wamsutta began to form an alliance with Connecticut Colony. Within a year of his succession, and almost immediately after appearing in front of the court, in 1662, Massasoit Wamsutta died suddenly. Metacomet, Massasoit's second son, became Sagamore of the Pokanoket, and Great Leader of the Pokanoket Nation. Massasoit Metacom, also known as King Philip, certainly believed that Massasoit Wamsutta had been murdered at the hands of the English. Massasoit Wamsutta's death was one of the leading factors that eventually led to King Philip's War, the bloodiest war in American history — indeed, more so than the American Civil War in terms of lives lost proportional to population.

Statues of Massasoit Ousamequin by sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin stand near Plymouth Rock; outside the Utah State Capitol building; on the campus of Brigham Young University; and in Kansas City, MO (corner of Main Street & Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd). Massasoit Community College and Massasoit State Park, both located in Massachusetts, are named after him.

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MASSASOIT WAMSUTTA, KING ALEXANDER POKANOKET

Massasoit Wamsutta (c. 1621 - d. 1662), also King Alexander Pokanoket as he was called by New England colonists, was the Great Leader of the Pokanoket Nation.

Family

Massasoit Wamsutta was the eldest son of Massasoit Ousamequin and brother of Metacomet. He married Weetamoo. He received the name "Alexander" from English settlers in 1656.

Leadership and death

During 1660-1661, Massasoit Ousamequin died and Massasoit Wamsutta assumed leadership of the Pokanoket, becoming leader of all the Native American tribes between the Charles River in Massachusetts and Narraganset Bay in Rhode Island, including the tribes in eastern Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. He substantially increased the power of the Pokanoket by selling land to other colonies (as a result of a collapse of the fur trade), and in 1662 this resulted in his being summoned to and seized by the Plymouth Court. After being questioned Massasoit Wamsutta became ill and soon died.

The cause of death was disputed, and Massasoit Wamsutta's brother Metacomet (who now assumed leadership of the Pokanoket) suspected that he was poisoned. Massasoit Wamsutta's death was one of the factors that would eventually lead to the 1675 King Philip's War.

Massasoit Wamsutta was likely poisoned or tortured by then Governor Thomas Prence (Governor from 1657 to 1672), who saw him as a threat. He was in perfect health before being summoned at gunpoint by Prence and died shortly after being held involuntarily at Josiah Winslow's Marshfield home for 3 days. Nan Apashamen, Pokanoket historian at Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts, was working on research which heavily suggested that Massasoit Wamsutta's name had been changed to "Moanam" and that the frequently referred of "Moanam" was in fact Phillips' brother, not father.

Massasoit Wamsutta and Massasoit Metacomet (Alexander and Phillip, respectively) both studied at the newly established Harvard College, as well as their younger brother Sonkanuchoo.

Legacy

The name, Wamsutta, has been used in a number of areas:

In 1846, the Wamsutta Company's textile mill opened in New Bedford, Massachusetts.

In 1861, 20 year old Henry H. Rogers and his partner Charles Ellis of Massachusetts named their tiny venture near Oil City, Pennsylvania the Wamsutta Oil Refinery. Rogers later became a principal in John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil empire.

USS Wamsutta was the name of a United States Navy steamer in commission from 1863 to 1865.

In 1866, the Wamsutta Club was founded in New Bedford. It was a club for the affluent members of New Bedford's community, which at the time was supported by the flagging whaling industry as well as the up-and-coming textiles for which the club was named.

In 1997, the Wamsutta Middle School was built in Attleboro, Massachusetts for Attleboro Public Schools.

In modern times, Wamsutta is a brand name of textile products marketed by Springs Industries, Inc.

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MASSASOIT METACOMET, POMETACOM, METACOM KING PHILIP

Massasoit Metacomet (c. 1638 - d. August 12, 1676), also known as Metacom King Philip or Pometacom, was the Great Leader of the Pokanoket Nation and their leader in the King Philip's War.

Biography

Massasoit Metacomet was the 2nd son of Massasoit Ousamequin. He became Great Leader in 1662 when his brother, Massasoit Wamsutta (or King Alexander), died.

Massasoit Wamsutta's widow Weetamoo (d. 1676), sachem of the Pocassets, was his ally and friend for the rest of her life. Massasoit Metacomet married Weetamoo's younger sister, Wootonekanuske.

He hated Christianity, and thought it was a horrible religion that would cause him to be an irresponsible leader if he converted to it. Many people tried to convert him, but every time he rudely refused.

At first he sought to live in harmony with the colonists. As Great Leader, he took the lead in much of his tribes' trade with the colonies. He adopted the European name of Philip, and bought his clothes in Boston, Massachusetts.

But the colonies continued to expand. To the west, the Iroquois Confederation continued expanding, pushing hostile tribes east, thereby encroaching on his territory.

Finally, in 1671 the colonial leaders of the Plymouth Colony forced major concessions from him. He surrendered much of his tribe's armament and ammunition and agreed that they were subject to English law. The encroachment continued until actual hostilities broke out in 1675.

King Philip's War

Massasoit Metacomet hurried to catch up with his warriors, to lead them in the uprising that would later bear his name. Mary Rowlandson, who was taken captive during a raid on Lancaster, Massachusetts, wrote about a meeting with Massasoit Metacomet during her captivity.

When the war eventually turned against him, he took refuge in the great Assowamset Swamp in southern Rhode Island. Here he held out for a time, with his family and remaining followers.

Hunted by a group of rangers led by Captain Benjamin Church, he was fatally shot by Praying Indian John Alderman, on August 12, 1676, near Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island.  After his death his wife, Wootonekanuske, and eight-year-old son, Metom, were sold as slaves in Bermuda, while King Philip's head was mounted on a pike at the entrance to Fort Plymouth where it remained for over two decades. His body was cut into quarters and hung in trees. Alderman was given one of Massasoit Metacomet's hands as a reward.

In fiction

In the short story "The Devil and Daniel Webster", Massasoit Metacomet is fictionally shown to have been killed by a blow to the head (he was actually shot in the heart) and is portrayed as a villain to the United States. Massasoit Metacomet appears in the 1995 film The Scarlet Letter.

Legacy

Metacomet Mill in Fall River, Massachusetts, built in 1847 is currently the oldest remaining textile mill in the city.

King Philip Mills in Fall River, Massachusetts, built 1871.

The USS Metacomet, an 1863 United States Navy ship.

The Metacomet Ridge, a 100-mile long mountain range in southern New England.

The 51 mile Metacomet Trail in central Connecticut.

The 110 mile Metacomet-Monadnock Trail in the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.

Metacomet Country Club, a golf course designed by Donald Ross.

King Philip Regional High School in Wrentham, Massachusetts.

Metacom Avenue, a major road running through Bristol and Warren, Rhode Island, and Metacomet Street in Walpole, Massachusetts.

King Philip Mountain, a peak on Talcott Mountain, 3 miles west of Hartford, Connecticut

King Phillip's Cave in Norton, Massachusetts, a cave said to have been used by the chief as a hiding place towards the end of his reign.

Phillips Pond and Phillipswood Road in Sandown, New Hampshire.

Metacomet Park in Medfield, Massachusetts.

King Philip. From Metacomet. The clipper ship built in 1856 that is periodically seen on Ocean Beach in San Francisco, California. Upon semi-retirement, it was sold as a lumber carrier. Its anchor gave way and the ship drifted into a sand bar on Ocean Beach. As the tide went out, the King Philip settled into the sand where it was left. It is considered the best preserved wooden shipwreck on the West Coast of North America.

King Philip Middle School in West Hartford, Connecticut.

Multiple Metacomet street names surrounding the Metacomet Trail in Connecticut.

A subdivision named Metacomet Road in Scituate, MA

King Philip Stockade is named after the chief, and is a section of Forest Park in Springfield, Massachusetts

On November 16th, 1997, Massasoit Metacom, Great Leader of the Pokanoket Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame.  He was inducted because he tried to preserve his civilization, but died during the King Philip's War through his efforts.  As stated on the award, his distinguished contributions have brought honor and prestige to the state of Rhode Island and enhanced its illustrious heritage.

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