WOMPATUCK NEWS

From a Tribal Perspective

“Massachusett Tribal Life” by Joshua Winer

With this year commemorating the 400th and inland as far west as Worcester. In 1616, just a few years before the anniversary of the Pilgrim’s landing at The Massachusett people led by arrival of the English settlers, a great Plymouth, the following story was taken their Sac’hems, hunted, fished, plague swept the New England coast from the Massachusett tribal web site worked their quarries, created their from Maine to Rhode Island, killing to give background on the history of tools and sculpted their weapons. nearly eighty percent of the its people. Wompatuck and his father, They planted vast fields of grain, Indigenous population. The Chickataubut, were both members. corn, squash and beans, harvested, Massachusett tribes and villages were Jim Rose, prepared and stored their harvests. In greatly affected. Their societies were FOW News Editor and Historian their villages they celebrated, disrupted, trade threatened and practiced their religion, built their defenses against rival tribes to the Massachusett Tribe History homes, raised their families and north were reduced due to the losses In a time before now, before the enjoyed prosperity. of large numbers of their warriors. arrival of European traders or the Long before 1620, European Whole villages were wiped out English settlers to the coasts of trading ships traveled throughout New including Pawtuxant (Plymouth). It Massachusetts, The Confederation of England trading goods with the was a time of great grief among the Indigenous Massachusett lived and indigenous tribes of New England. Massachusett people. Just as the thrived in what is now called the With them they brought diseases that Massachusett Indigenous population Commonwealth of Massachusetts. For were deadly to the Indigenous people. began to recover, the English Invasion years beyond counting, Indigenous Plagues traveled throughout the began. Between 1620 and 1660, Massachusett villages spanned from region devastating the tribes and 80,000 English speaking people Salem to Plymouth along the coast, dramatically reducing their numbers. crossed the Atlantic.

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Tribal Life includes Wollaston, Milton to his satisfaction.” (Neponset), Dorchester, Braintree, In 1630, Dorchester covered a Massachusett tribal life was Weymouth, Hingham, Nantasket, much larger area than it does today. matriarchal. Women of the tribe Hull, Cohasset, Duxbury, Scituate, Chickataubut consented to the trapped small game, gathered Plymouth, the Boston Harbor islands occupancy of Dorchester shellfish, wild grains, greens and and many other villages along the (occupancy, not sale, as evidenced herbs for food and medicine. The southeast coast. by Dorchester’s English inhabitants women of the tribe owned and still seeking a deed from his son tended the planting fields, and Josiah Wompatuck in 1666 (they preserved the harvests. The children never received it). It is most were employed to keep the birds probable that Chickataubut away from the planted fields. The considered the payment he received women also built and owned the as “tribute” such as he received from wetus (summer huts) and winter the other lesser tribes occupying long houses that the tribal members Massachusett territory; the same lived in. kind of consent he agreed to in the The women were also the treaty with the English at Plymouth potters and basket weavers, wood “The Massachusett Sagamore, gatherers and fire keepers. Women Chickataubut” by Joshua Winer in 1621. The sale of land was an unheard of concept for the took an active role in decision making Chickataubut’s winter inland seat Indigenous Massachusett. Some of along with the men and elders within and the winter home of his people the earliest disputes between the the tribe. Men of the tribe were was at Massawachusett, (“the place English and the Massachusett arose responsible for mining, whaling, of many great hills”) from where the fishing and hunting and for protecting as a result of the English mistaking Massachusett people took their the tribe and its territory against their tributes to the Massachusett name and what is now called the encroachment by other indigenous Sac’hems to be payment for the sale Blue Hills. The territory includes tribes. of Massachusett territorial land. Randolph, Canton, Stoughton, Besides the English disputes, and Chickataubut Dedham, Brockton, and weakened from former plagues, the

One of the Massachusett tribes was Bridgewater. village at Passanageset was struck the Neponset and their Sac’hem In 1893, Daniel Huntoon writes in with another plague (probably was Chickataubut, Principal Chief of History of Canton: “In 1620 when smallpox). the Massachusett when the English the forefathers landed at Plymouth sailed into Massachusett territory to they found the Indian chief settle. Chickataubut had many Chickataubut in full possession of residences throughout his territory. all the country. His Court was held His principal Summer Seat was at at Braintree, which included the Passanageset (now Quincy). He present towns of Randolph and Moswetusett Hummock buried his mother there. This Quincy and it was never denied in Chickataubut moved quickly with suggests that this was his mother’s his lifetime or that of his grandson, the uninfected (not even stopping to village and perhaps the birthplace of that he held an undisputed bury the dead) over to Moswetusett Chickataubut. Moswetusett possession. In 1621 he went to Hummock seeking to save them from Hummock, also in Quincy, was his Plymouth and signed a treaty with certain death. Chickataubut lived with secondary summer seat. In addition the English. He consented to the his people at Moswetusett Hummock to Quincy, the Neponset tribe occupancy of Dorchester to the until 1633 where he was finally struck occupied the region of what now English in 1630 and it was paid for down by small pox.

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