Owaneco

Owaneco (* 16th century; † 1628), also known as Uncas the Elder , was a sachem of the Pequot , an Algonquin- speaking Indian tribe in what is now the US state of Connecticut . His son was Uncas , who became known as a feared sachem of the Pequot and Mohegan and a friend of the English colonists.

Owaneco's main village was called Montonosuck and was near what is now Norwich , Connecticut. In 1626, Owaneco arranged the marriage between his son Uncas and the daughter of the chief sachem of the Pequot named Tatobem in order to consolidate the alliance between the two tribes, Mohegan and Pequot, and at the same time to seek a balance of power. A short time later Owaneco died and Uncas had to submit to Tatobem. Since he intrigued against his father-in-law, he fled initially to the Narragansett and later to the Mohegan, who had only a few surviving warriors in their tribe. They recognized Uncas as their sachem a short time later. Under his leadership, the Mohegan split off from the Pequot and formed their own tribe.

At that time Mohegan and Pequot were jointly ruled by Sachem Sassacus until a rebellion by the sub-chief Uncas split the tribe. Uncas refused allegiance to Sassacus and eventually left the Pequot villages with 50 warriors and their families. They settled in a new village on the Connecticut River north of what is now Lyme and now called themselves Mohegan. Uncas finally managed to enlarge his group to such an extent that Sassacus could no longer force them to return.

Three of Owaneco's children are known: a daughter Wequot and a son Wawequa, who murdered the sachem of the Narraganset Miontonomo. But best known was the half-brother of the two, Uncas, who emerged from the connection between Owaneco and his wife Mo-Kunnup, the daughter of the sachem of the Podunk named Arramamet .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Pequot History. Retrieved September 9, 2016 .