John Sassamon

John Sassamon (* before 1633; † 1674 or 1675) was an Indian from the tribe of the Wampanoag Indians living in the New England states . He was born in Massachusetts in the early 17th century .

He worked as an interpreter for the settlers of New England and initiated the first translation of the Bible into an Indian language. In late 1674 he warned the governor of the Plymouth Colony of an impending attack by his tribe and was murdered shortly afterwards. The execution of the three murderers led to the bloody Indian uprising " King Philip's War " in 1675/76, which was named after the English name of the chief Metacomet .

biography

Sassamon's parents died during a smallpox epidemic in 1633. It is believed that John was adopted by a Puritan family who taught him the English language and raised him to be a praying Indian .

In his youth, Sassamon made the acquaintance of John Eliot , a priest and missionary. This gave him both English and Bible lessons and in return was taught by Sassamon in the Massachusett language belonging to the Algonquin languages , which was also the language of the Wampanoag. This knowledge of the language enabled Eliot to create the first translation of the Bible from English into Massachusetts ( Mamusse Wunneetupanatamwe Up-Biblum God ). Sassamon worked as an interpreter during the Pequot War that broke out in 1637 , fighting on the side of the settlers.

When Father Eliot founded the Massachusetts prayer town of Natick in 1651 , Sassamon was employed as a teacher of English and religious education. Sassamon could speak English as well as read and write. This helped him attend Harvard College in 1653 . But he stayed there only a short time. Nevertheless, this achievement is remarkable, since at that time no official Indian colleague existed.

After returning from Harvard, Sassamon turned from the Puritan life to the Indians. He worked as an interpreter for various Wampanoag chiefs. He was in close contact with Metacomet , also known as King Philip . However, the settlers' wish that Sassamon convert him to Christianity never came true.

Sassamon had a special role in society at the time. As a Massachusett speaking Indian, he mastered the English language and was agile in both social structures. At the same time, he was never completely trusted in any society.

After a few years, Sassamon left the Indians and turned back to the Puritans. In December 1674 he warned Josiah Winslow , the governor of the Plymouth Colony, of an impending attack by the Wampanoag led by Metacomet. This warning was ignored by the whites. A short time later the announced attack took place and Sassamon disappeared without a trace. About two months later, his body was found in the frozen Assowamsett Pool near Middleborough , Plymouth County . At first it was suspected that Sassamon had drowned, but eventually the murder of three of King Philip's men (Tobias, Wampapaquan, Mattshunannamo) arose from a testimony of the Indian Patuckson. Their execution led in several stages to the Indian uprising of 1675/76, called " King Philips War ".

John Sassamon murder case

Involved:

• Patuckson was an undisclosed tribal Indian, presumably Wampanoag. He was a witness to the murder.
• Mattshunannamo was a Pokanoket Indian and was executed for the murder.
• Wampapaquan was a Pokanoket Indian. He was the son of the Indian Tobias and was also executed for murder.
• Tobias was a Pokanoket Indian. He was the father of Wampapaquan and was executed for the murder of John Sassamon.

In February or March 1675, John Sassamon was found dead in a frozen pool near Plymouth. Originally it was believed that Sassamon drowned. However, the Indian Patuckson reports as an eyewitness to a murder. He reported having observed from a hill that three Pokanoket Indians had murdered Sassamon and sunk his body in a frozen pool. According to Patuckson's testimony, the murderers were the Indians Tobias, Tobias son Wampapaquan and Mattshunannamo. All three men were close advisers of Metacomet, the chief of the Pokanoket, so that the chief was suspected of being the initiator of the act. It can be assumed that he ordered the murder of John Sassamon because he believed him to be a traitor. However, this has not been proven.

Hiding the corpse under the ice is supposed to simulate that Sassamon drowned. Patuckson did not want to report at first out of fear, but was now ready to testify. Based on Patuckson's testimony, on June 1, 1675, a Plymouth court accused the three of the collective murder of a Wampanoag Indian on Indian territory. A jury made up of twelve Englishmen and six Christianized Indians ( Praying Indians , not entitled to vote) appointed as advisors sentenced the three to death by hanging. Although the current legal situation at the time required two witnesses to be found in order to impose the death sentence, the court decided that one eyewitness was sufficient. A week after the verdict was pronounced, the sentence was carried out. In one case, it is not known who was affected, the rope broke and the delinquent was not shot until a week later after he again pleaded for the murder.

Fonts

• Robert Asher, Lawrence B. Goodheart, Alan Rogers: Murder on trial: 1620-2002 . State University of New York Press, Albany 2005, ISBN 0-7914-6378-8 , pp. 45 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed July 9, 2010]).
• Robert Blaisdell: Great speeches by Native Americans . Dover Publications, Mineola, NY 2000, ISBN 0-486-41122-2 , pp. 103 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed July 9, 2010]).
• Daniel K. Richter : Facing east from Indian country: a Native history of early America . Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass. 2001, ISBN 0-674-00638-0 , pp. 103 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed July 9, 2010]).
• Joseph Barlow Felt: The Ecclesiastical History of New England: Comprising Not Only the Religious, But Also Moral, and Other Relations . tape 2 . Congregational Library Association, 1862, pp. 632 ( read online in Google Book Search [accessed July 9, 2010]).
• David Silverman, Frederick E. Hoxie, Neal Salisbury: Faith and boundaries: colonists, Christianity, and community among the Wampanoag Indians of Martha's Vineyard, 1600-1871 . Cambridge University Press, New York 2005, ISBN 0-521-84280-8 , pp. 102 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed July 9, 2010]).
• John Fiske, The Beginnings of New England, online at gutenberg.org

Web links

• King Philip's War: Indian Chieftain's War Against the New England Colonies
• Indian History and Genealogy
• The murder of John Sassamon