The arrival of European explorers and traders in early New England, the establishment of the English colony at Plymouth in 1620, and the process of colonization that followed had profound and lasting impacts on Wampanoag society.

THE GREAT DYING

A series of deadly pandemics ravaged Native communities along the New England coast between 1614 -1619, the result of European introduced disease. The Wampanoag people were especially hard hit, suffering the loss of as much as 75% or more of their population. The Wampanoag were not extinguished by the outbreak, but their economic and political position was dangerously diminished.

NATIVE LAND LOSS

Conflicts over access to land and local resources escalated as the English settled on Native lands, disrupting their way of life. Early Plymouth authorities restricted some transfers of Native lands to prevent abuses, but many acquisitions were transacted without informed consent. Laws and policies in the 18th and 19th centuries eased the way for more tribal land purchases, displacing Native families and making the Wampanoag people a “landless minority” in their own homeland.

KING PHILIP’S WAR

Sparked by anger over colonial hunger for land and heavy-handed dealings, King Philip’s War of 1675-76 proved devastating for the Wampanoag and their allies. It was one of the bloodiest conflicts in American history, with both sides suffering extreme casualties. The defeated Wampanoag were harshly treated. Surviving warriors were executed and entire Native families sold into slavery abroad as punishment; others were forced to become servants locally.

CONVERSION

“They conceive of many divine powers … [one the] maker of all the rest .. created all the rest … created the heavens, earth, sea and all creatures contained therein; also that he made one man and one woman.”
-Edward Winslow

The Wampanoag had a strong and complex spirituality. Many English could not recognize these beliefs as “religion.” They defined Indigenous people (and others, such as the Irish) as “savages.” Some Puritan ministers set out to convert Indigenous people. Reverend John Eliot translated the Bible into the Wampanoag language. Some Natives converted. Their reasons ranged from genuine belief to basic survival. Other Natives incorporated selected Christian beliefs into their own religion. Many maintained their traditional religion.

In the 1640s-50s, efforts to christianize Native peoples led to “praying towns,” where potential converts were isolated and pressed to conform to English standards of dress, language, and conduct, as well as belief. During King Philip’s War, Christian Indians pledged neutrality, and other neutral or “friendly” Natives were sequestered with them. Viewed with suspicion by authorities, many were arrested and forcibly interned on Deer Island in Boston Harbor.

WARDS OF THE STATE

After King Philip’s War, Native peoples were not allowed to move freely but restricted to areas where they could be watched and monitored. From the late 17th century to 1869, guardians were appointed to manage their affairs. They often sold off tribal lands to support the community, though corruption was rife and Native impoverishment was a common result.