Metacom, (Metacomet, King Philip)

Heroes Metacom (Metacomet, King Philip) 1640–1676

Metacom, also known as Metacomet or King Philip, was born in 1640. He was the son of Massasoit, the Native American chief of the Wampanoag tribe. Metacom and his tribe inhabited the southeastern Massachusetts where the Pilgrims landed. Chief Massasoit and the Pilgrims signed a peace treaty in 1621. Massasoit befriended the Pilgrims by selling them land. Metacom, along with his older brother Wamsutta, attended the school the colonists ran. They were taught about the colonists’ culture and to speak English. The colonists gave Metacom the English name Philip, and Wamsutta was named Alexander. Metacom married a Wootonekanuske, and they had several children. After Massasoit died in 1661, Wamsutta became chief of the Wampanoag tribe. In 1662 he sold land to new settlers, without consulting the Plymouth government officials. This angered the officials, who wanted to control land ownership. They ordered Wamsutta’s arrest. The colonists also demanded he pay a yearly tribute to them, and then set him free. On his return home Wamsutta became ill and died. Though he may have died from disease, Metacom and his tribe believed the colonists’ had poisoned Wamsutta. Metacom, who was now chief of the Wampanoag tribe, became concerned about the relationship between the tribes and the colonists. By the late 1660s colonists outnumbered American Indians. Land sales to colonists became a problem for the tribes. Colonists’ payments to tribal chiefs were considered gifts. The colonists believed they owned the land for which they had paid. The Indians confiscated or killed colonists’ livestock that wandered onto tribal land. Because of their differences, land disputes erupted between colonists and the tribes. In 1667 the Plymouth colony violated an agreement with Metacom and sold a portion of his land for the town of Swansea. In 1671 after tribal war parties appeared near Swansea, the leaders of the Plymouth colony requested a meeting with Metacom. At gunpoint they forced him to sign a treaty that left the Wampanoag tribe with not rights to land. In addition, the colonists attempted to control the tribal governments. Metacom, and the chiefs of the other tribal nations, felt the colonists’ actions were dishonorable. Under these circumstances Metacom found it difficult to maintain peace between the parties. Metacom planned an attack on the colonists. However, a Native American, John Sassamon informed the colonists of Metacom’s plan. Sassamon was killed, and the colonists blamed the Wampanoag tribe for his

CICERO © 2010 1 Heroes death. The colonists convicted three Wampanoag tribal members of the crime, and they were hanged. In July 1675, a war between the colonists and several tribal groups began. This war would become known as King Philip’s War. The fighting began in the town of Swansea and spread through ninety settlements from Massachusetts to Rhode Island. Twelve towns were destroyed. Many American Indian villages also were destroyed. Though several tribes sided with Metacom, including the Nipmucks and Narragansetts, not all Native Americans fought on the side of the Wampanoag tribe. Some tribes fought alongside the English, including the Mohawk tribe. By 1676 Metacom was running out of warriors, food, and ammunition. His wife and son were captured and sold as slaves. Metacom retreated to his home in Mount Hope. Alderman, an Indian fighting with the colonists, killed and beheaded Metacom during the final battle. Many Indians fighting with Metacom were captured and sold as slaves in the West Indies. Chief Metacom was 36 years old at the time of his death. The defeat of Metacom and his tribal forces forever changed the way of life for Native Americans in this region. King Philip’s War was also one of the most costly, in both lives lost and property damage, in our nation’s history.