Nanepashemet
Encyclopedia
Nanepashemet was the leader, or Great Sachem
, of the Pawtucket Confederation of Indian tribes before the landing of the Pilgrims
. He ruled over a large part of what is now Northeastern Massachusetts. His wife and sons governed the tribe after his death, during the Great Migration to New England by the English Puritans.
of present-day Boston, north to the Piscataqua River
in Portsmouth
and west to the Concord River
. His influence stretched north to the Pennacook
tribe which inhabited the White Mountains
region of present-day New Hampshire
. As a tribal area, Pawtucket consisted of several territories: Winnisemet (around present-day Chelsea, Massachusetts
), Saugus or Swampscott (Lynn
), Naumkeag (Salem
) (see Naumkeag people
), Agawam (Ipswich
), Pentucket (Haverhill
), from the coast going up the Merrimack. Daniel Gookin
includes Piscataqua (Portsmouth, New Hampshire
and Eliot, Maine
) and Accominta (York, Maine
) in the Pawtucket alliance. Other sources name Mishawum (Charlestown, Massachusetts
), Mistic (Medford, Massachusetts
), Musketaquid (Concord, Massachusetts
) and Pannukog (Concord, New Hampshire
) as Pawtucket territory.
Nanepashemet was respected by his people as a warrior and a leader. His name was translated as "the Moone God" by Roger Williams
' A Key Into the Language of America
., although most historical accounts translate it to mean "New Moon" (e.g., see B. B. Thatcher, 1839). Nanepashemet's tribe caught fish, dug shellfish and raised corn on the Marblehead
peninsula.
In 1617, he sent a party of warriors to aid the Penobscot tribe in their conflict with the Tarrantine
s of northern Maine
. The Tarratines were a warlike band, who did not practice agriculture and who supplemented the food supplies that were not obtained by hunting with raids on the stores of bands who resided along the New England
coast and its tidal rivers. They sent war parties to avenge the support of Nanepashemet for their Penobscot enemies. Sensing danger, Nanpashemet built a log fort near the Mystic River
in present-day Medford. He directed his wife and children to move inland to reside with friendly Indian bands until the crisis passed.
In 1618, an epidemic of smallpox
decimated his band, but he was spared because of his isolation in the fort. By 1619, the Tarratines discovered his whereabouts, laid siege to the fort and ultimately killed Nanepashemet. Two years later, a party from the Plymouth Colony
including Edward Winslow
came across his fort and his grave.
, who was the Squaw Sachem of the Sakonnets in RI, but they were contemporaries and not the same person.
and Watertown
to the colonists, an area in present day terms that covers much of the Greater Boston area, including Newton
, Arlington
, Somerville
, and Charlestown
. She lived her last years on the west side of the Mystic Lakes and died there in 1650.
wrote that he did not command more than 30-40 men. Sagamore John was friendly to the colonists and was known to warn them of impending attacks by unfriendly Indians. Gov. John Winthrop
wrote that he died in 1633 of smallpox, "and almost all of his people."
He is mentioned in the poem Mogg Megone (1836) by John Greenleaf Whittier
. A monument to Sagamore John exists in present day Medford in a place called Sagamore Park.
, but rescued after eight years. His descendents signed the Indian Deed to Salem, Massachusetts
.
Sachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
, of the Pawtucket Confederation of Indian tribes before the landing of the Pilgrims
Pilgrims
Pilgrims , or Pilgrim Fathers , is a name commonly applied to early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States...
. He ruled over a large part of what is now Northeastern Massachusetts. His wife and sons governed the tribe after his death, during the Great Migration to New England by the English Puritans.
Biography
By c. 1607, Nanepashemet controlled the lands from the Charles RiverCharles River
The Charles River is an long river that flows in an overall northeasterly direction in eastern Massachusetts, USA. From its source in Hopkinton, the river travels through 22 cities and towns until reaching the Atlantic Ocean at Boston...
of present-day Boston, north to the Piscataqua River
Piscataqua River
The Piscataqua River, in the northeastern United States, is a long tidal estuary formed by the confluence of the Salmon Falls and Cocheco rivers...
in Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
and west to the Concord River
Concord River
The Concord River is a tributary of the Merrimack River in eastern Massachusetts in the United States. The river drains a small rural and suburban region northwest of Boston. One of the most famous small rivers in U.S...
. His influence stretched north to the Pennacook
Pennacook
The Pennacook, also known by the names Merrimack and Pawtucket, were a North American people that primarily inhabited the Merrimack River valley of present-day New Hampshire and Massachusetts, as well as portions of southern Maine...
tribe which inhabited the White Mountains
White Mountains (New Hampshire)
The White Mountains are a mountain range covering about a quarter of the state of New Hampshire and a small portion of western Maine in the United States. Part of the Appalachian Mountains, they are considered the most rugged mountains in New England...
region of present-day New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. As a tribal area, Pawtucket consisted of several territories: Winnisemet (around present-day Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
), Saugus or Swampscott (Lynn
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
), Naumkeag (Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
) (see Naumkeag people
Naumkeag people
The Naumkeag tribe were a Native American people that inhabited the area now part of northeastern Massachusetts. The tribe maintained its independence even as it acted as part of the Massachusett Confederacy of tribes....
), Agawam (Ipswich
Ipswich, Massachusetts
Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,987 at the 2000 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island...
), Pentucket (Haverhill
Haverhill, Massachusetts
Haverhill is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 60,879 at the 2010 census.Located on the Merrimack River, it began as a farming community that would evolve into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run by water power. In the...
), from the coast going up the Merrimack. Daniel Gookin
Daniel Gookin
Major-General Daniel Gookin was a settler of Virginia and Massachusetts, and a writer on the subject of American Indians.-Early life:...
includes Piscataqua (Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
and Eliot, Maine
Eliot, Maine
Eliot is a town in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,204 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
) and Accominta (York, Maine
York, Maine
York is a town in York County, Maine, United States at the southwest corner of the state. The population in the 2000 census was 12,854. Situated beside the Atlantic Ocean on the Gulf of Maine, York is a well-known summer resort. It is home to three 18-hole golf clubs, three sandy beaches, and...
) in the Pawtucket alliance. Other sources name Mishawum (Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
), Mistic (Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
), Musketaquid (Concord, Massachusetts
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 17,668. Although a small town, Concord is noted for its leading roles in American history and literature.-History:...
) and Pannukog (Concord, New Hampshire
Concord, New Hampshire
The city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
) as Pawtucket territory.
Nanepashemet was respected by his people as a warrior and a leader. His name was translated as "the Moone God" by Roger Williams
Roger Williams (theologian)
Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...
' A Key Into the Language of America
A Key Into the Language of America
A Key into the Language of America is a book written by Roger Williams in 1643 describing the Native American languages in New England in the 17th century...
., although most historical accounts translate it to mean "New Moon" (e.g., see B. B. Thatcher, 1839). Nanepashemet's tribe caught fish, dug shellfish and raised corn on the Marblehead
Marblehead, Massachusetts
Marblehead is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,808 at the 2010 census. It is home to the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary and Devereux Beach...
peninsula.
In 1617, he sent a party of warriors to aid the Penobscot tribe in their conflict with the Tarrantine
Tarrantine
The Tarrantines were a tribe of Native Americans inhabiting northern New England, particularly coastal Maine. The name Tarrantine is the word the Massachusett tribe used to refer to the Abenaki people....
s of northern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
. The Tarratines were a warlike band, who did not practice agriculture and who supplemented the food supplies that were not obtained by hunting with raids on the stores of bands who resided along the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
coast and its tidal rivers. They sent war parties to avenge the support of Nanepashemet for their Penobscot enemies. Sensing danger, Nanpashemet built a log fort near the Mystic River
Mystic River
The Mystic River is a river in Massachusetts, in the United States. Its name derives from the Wampanoag word "muhs-uhtuq", which translates to "big river." In an Algonquian language, "Missi-Tuk" means "a great river whose waters are driven by waves", alluding to the natural tidal nature of the...
in present-day Medford. He directed his wife and children to move inland to reside with friendly Indian bands until the crisis passed.
In 1618, an epidemic of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
decimated his band, but he was spared because of his isolation in the fort. By 1619, the Tarratines discovered his whereabouts, laid siege to the fort and ultimately killed Nanepashemet. Two years later, a party from the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
including Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow
Edward Winslow was an English Pilgrim leader on the Mayflower. He served as the governor of Plymouth Colony in 1633, 1636, and finally in 1644...
came across his fort and his grave.
Descendents
Nanepashmet had a wife whose name has been lost is known only as the Squaw Sachem. Their three sons are referred to in the colonial records as Sagamore John, Sagamore James, and Sagamore George. She is often confused with AwashonksAwashonks
Awashonks was a female sachem of the Sakonnet Indian tribe in Seconet, Rhode Island. She signed the Plymouth Agreement of 1671...
, who was the Squaw Sachem of the Sakonnets in RI, but they were contemporaries and not the same person.
Squaw Sachem
Squaw Sachem ruled his lands aggressively and capably after his death. In 1639 she deeded the land of what was then CambridgeCambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
and Watertown
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
to the colonists, an area in present day terms that covers much of the Greater Boston area, including Newton
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, Arlington
Arlington, Massachusetts
Arlington is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, six miles northwest of Boston. The population was 42,844 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, and Charlestown
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
. She lived her last years on the west side of the Mystic Lakes and died there in 1650.
Sagamore John
His real name was Wonohaquaham. He controlled what is now Charlestown, Medford, Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea. In 1631, Gov. Thomas DudleyThomas Dudley
Thomas Dudley was a colonial magistrate who served several terms as governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Dudley was the chief founder of Newtowne, later Cambridge, Massachusetts, and built the town's first home...
wrote that he did not command more than 30-40 men. Sagamore John was friendly to the colonists and was known to warn them of impending attacks by unfriendly Indians. Gov. John Winthrop
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
wrote that he died in 1633 of smallpox, "and almost all of his people."
He is mentioned in the poem Mogg Megone (1836) by John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier
John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He is usually listed as one of the Fireside Poets...
. A monument to Sagamore John exists in present day Medford in a place called Sagamore Park.
Sagamore James
His real name was Montowompate. He controlled the Saugus, Lynn and Marblehead areas, also died in 1633 of smallpox.Sagamore George
His real name was Wenepoykin. He was the youngest of the three sons. He survives the smallpox epidemic of 1633 but becomes known as "no-nose" in some records due to the disfigurement of this disease. He inherited the lands of his brothers from Charlestown up to Salem. He may have been sold into slavery, and shipped to the Caribbean island of Barbados at the end of King Philip's WarKing Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
, but rescued after eight years. His descendents signed the Indian Deed to Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
.