Massasoite

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Massasoit (* around 1580, † 1662 ) was Obersachem of the Wampanoag , whose residential area was in the southeast of what is now the US state of Massachusetts . Massasoit was a title, its real name was Wasamegin and means yellow feather . Although he is not mentioned in any English report before 1621, he and his brother Quadequina were undoubtedly the two kings, accompanied by 50 armed warriors , that Captain Thomas Dermer met at Pokanoket in May 1619 when he was returning to Squanto or Tisquantum, who had been abducted as a slave brought to his homeland.

The Pilgrim Fathers

On March 22, 1621, at the suggestion of Squanto, Massasoit visited the Pilgrim Fathers' settlement built the year before . In an almost identical scenario to the visit of Captain Thomas Dermer the year before, Massasoit and his brother, this time with 60 armed warriors, stood on a hill and looked at the young colony. Edward Winslow was sent to meet him and given a gift of knives and a copper chain of office set with jewels. Massasoit was told that the Pilgrim Fathers were only interested in peaceful trade. Edward Winslow also brought greetings from King James I of England, who regarded Massasoit as a friend and ally. Massasoit liked to hear this, for the English seemed powerful allies against his enemies in the region, especially against the Narraganset to the west.

The peace treaty

Massasoit and Governor John Carver smoke a peace pipe

During the contract negotiations that followed, Massasoit met with Captain Myles Standish and William Brewster on the river. They greeted each other solemnly and went together to William Bradford's house, where Governor John Carver was waiting for them. After Massasoit had been treated to fresh meat and alcohol, the terms of the contract were negotiated. Massasoit promised that no Indian would bother the Pilgrim Fathers, but if so, the culprit should be handed over to the English for punishment. If either party were attacked by a third party, they should stand by each other. They also agreed that neither the Indians nor the English were allowed to carry weapons when trading.

Massasoit was described by Edward Winslow in 1621 as follows: He is a very powerful man in his prime, with a healthy body, elegant demeanor, and economical in speech. There is little or no difference in clothing to his entourage, with the exception of a broad chain of white bones around his neck. Behind his neck he carries a small tobacco pouch from which he offers us tobacco and then uses it himself. His face is painted a deep red like a mulberry, and his head and face are oiled so that it gleams from the fat. His companions also look similar, the faces are completely or partially painted, some in black, others in red, yellow or white. Some are decorated with crosses and other ornaments, some wear skins and others are naked, but all are of strong, large stature and excellent appearance ... In front of his chest Massasoit has a large, long knife that is attached to a string. He admires our trumpet very much, and some of his people try to get tones out of it as best they can.

In September 1623 Emmanual Altham Massasoit described in a letter: And now I would like to tell you something about Massasoit's stature. He is one of the best looking men I have ever seen in his country and he is very brave. He's very subtle to a savage and like most of his men he's naked except for a black wolf skin over his shoulder. Around the middle of the body he wears a wide chain decorated with pearls.

Pokanoket

First Thanksgiving Day in New England with the Wampanoag

After the meeting in the village of the Pilgrim Fathers, Massasoit invited the English delegation to his village of Pokanoket. Myles Standish and Isaac Allerton volunteered for this adventure. When they got to Pokanoket, Massasoit gave them peanuts and tobacco and the English gave Massasoit a kettle of peas.

The Pilgrim Fathers made a second trip to Massasoit's home village of Pokanoket to get to know their neighbors better and to expand the peace treaty. This time Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins were selected for the multi-day trip. They confirmed the existing peace treaty and Massasoit. In addition, Massasoit agreed to prohibit his people from making surprise visits to Plymouth. Wampanoag came to Plymouth for food or out of curiosity. Massasoit also wanted to send a messenger to the Indians, from whom the Pilgrim Fathers had received corn on their arrival, so that they could return it.

In the spring of 1622, Massasoit learned from Hobomok's wife that Tisquantum had betrayed him. He tried to convince the pilgrim fathers that Massasoit was not trustworthy. According to the treaty, Massasoit asked the British to hand over Tisquantum for punishment. Governor William Bradford disagreed, saying that despite his betrayal, he could not do without Tisquantum. Massasoit grew angry and stopped sending messengers and presents to the Plymouth Colony. Tisquantum's death in November 1622 improved the situation and relations between the English and Wampanoag stabilized, despite the unrest in Thomas Weston's colony .

Thomas Weston's Colony

When the settlers in Thomas Weston's colony threatened to starve to death in January 1623, many of them had to work as servants for the Indians to get food for their families. They supplied the Wampanoag with wood and drinking water and got corn and meat in return. But it soon turned out that many of the whites did not work for the Indians at all, but rather stole food for no consideration. When the Indians invoked the peace treaty previously negotiated by Massasoit and demanded that the thieves be punished, the settlers decided to hang one of the whites to reconcile the Indians. Instead of punishing the real culprit, a tall, healthy and athletic young man who might still be of use to them, they instead chose an old, sick weaver who was completely innocent and hung him up.

However, Plymouth did not hesitate to use violence against the Indians, often with questionable justification, as in the case of Captain Myles Standish's attack on the Massachusetts Bay Indians in the winter of 1622/1623 when riots broke out in Thomas Weston's colony. Governor William Bradford justified this preemptive strike on the basis of a reported Massachusetts conspiracy against Weston's people and also against the Pilgrim Fathers' colony. Bradford was happy to admit that Weston's men had stolen from the Indians, but he accepted the elimination of the conspirators before they could strike. Although the colonists' information about the alleged conspiracy came from their ally, Massasoit, the 20th century historian has to question the accuracy of this information, especially given the constant fear of Indian conspiracies and the outbreak of Indian wars in New England.

Massasoit's disease

In March 1623, Massasoit fell seriously ill. When the news of this reached Plymouth, Edward Winslow immediately set off for Pokanoket in Hobomok's company. When they got to Namasket Village, they received word that Massasoit was already dead. They traveled on and found Massasoit's house full of visitors and medicine men. Massasoit was alive, but he could not see. He was told that the Englishman had come. In Algonquin he asked if it was Winslow. When this was confirmed to him he said: Oh Winslow, I will never be able to see you again! Winslow gave him some medicine and treated the inside of his swollen mouth because he had obviously eaten or drunk something poisonous. Winslow poured him water and a sassafras tea, the effects of which he evidently knew from the Wampanoag. After half an hour Massasoit could see something again and he was slowly getting better. Winslow made him a chicken soup, after a few days his appetite returned and he finally got well.

Expansion of the English and the Pequot War

Around 1632 Massasoit changed its name to Woosamequen (also Ousame-quin or Owssamequen ).

Massasoit stuck to his stance of not only accepting the misdeeds of whites, but also urging the sachems of the neighboring peoples to be equally indulgent. So the colonization of southern New England could take place almost undisturbed: The Colony of Connecticut and the Massachusetts Bay Colony were founded in 1636, the New Haven Colony followed in 1638, the New Hampshire Colony in 1639 and the Providence Plantations on Narragansett Bay in 1643 .

Massasoit was able to keep his tribe out of the Pequot War (1637) and convince his people that a war against the growing power of the English would bring too many losses of their own. He hoped that at some point the influx of immigrants would stop, because he had no idea that Europe had an inexhaustible reservoir of people. The Indians of southern New England were appalled at the merciless warfare of the English, the killing or enslavement of all surviving Pequot , including some who had voluntarily surrendered to the Narragansett to join their tribe. The total victory over the Pequot and the attempted extermination had a strong depressive effect on the other Indian peoples in southern New England. Because destruction to the point of complete extermination of the enemy was something completely unknown to them until then.

Shortly before his death, Massasoit asked the authorities in Plymouth to give his two sons English names. Wamsutta , the older son, was named Alexander and his younger brother, Metacomet , was called Philip, who later became known as King Philip . Massasoit died in 1662 at the age of over 80.

literature

  • Lisa Blee, Jean M. O'Brien: Monumental Mobility: The Memory Work of Massasoit. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 2019, ISBN 978-1-4696-4841-5 .
  • Alvin M. Josephy: 500 Nations. The Illustrated History of the Indians of North America. Frederking & Thaler GmbH, Munich 1996, ISBN 3-89405-356-9 .
  • Monika Thaler (ed.): The world of the Indians. History, art, culture from the beginning to the present. Frederking & Thaler GmbH, Munich 1994, ISBN 3-89405-331-3 .

Web links