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WHO
WERE THE NATIVE PEOPLE?
THE WAMPANOAG |
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| "[The Natives]
support themselves by hunting, and when the spring comes, by fishing
... At the end of March they begin to break up the earth with
mattocks." |
Isaack de
Rasieres, 1628
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The Wampanoag have lived in
southeastern New England for thousands of years, farming and fishing and
hunting in a seasonal cycle.
The Native Peoples were familiar with Europeans, who had been
exploring and fishing here since the 16th century. This European
contact introduced, around 1615, an infectious disease for which the
Native population had no immunity. Many villages suffered terrible
losses. Others, such as the Wampanoag led by Massasoit, were
weakened but survived. Not all communities were affected; the
Narragansett in today's Rhode Island remained strong and threatened the
Wampanoag.
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MASSASOIT |
Massasoit was the
most powerful leader, or sachem, of the several tribes of the
Wampanoag nation. His headquarters were in Rhode Island, 40
miles to the southwest of Plymouth.
In 1620, he was of middle years and firmly established as a
strong, dignified and subtle leader. His people, who had
been devastated by disease, were threatened by the powerful
Narragansetts. Massasoit's mission was to forge alliances
where he could - with other Native groups and with English
colonists to ensure his people's survival.
Massasoit's relationship with the Pilgrims, part of his active
diplomacy, was strengthened when Edward Winslow saved his life in
1623. |
Today's Plymouth was the site of the thriving Wampanoag community
of Patuxet. By 1620, Patuxet was depopulated; those who survived had
left to join other communities.
Archaeological objects made of stone survive but represent only a
small part of local Native material culture before 1600. Some activities represented by
these stone artifacts are fishing, hunting, woodworking, cooking and recreation. Artifacts
made of other materials, such as wood, plant fibers and hide, seldom survive.
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