Wamsutta

Wamsutta (* probably 1634; † 1662), also known as Alexander Pokanoket , was a sachem of the Wampanoag Indians, also known as Pokanoket, whose tribal area once had large parts of the US states of Rhode Island and Massachusetts as well as the islands of Martha's Vineyard , Nantucket and Elizabeth Islands included.

Even his father Massasoit adopted English customs and shortly before his death in 1661 asked the legislators in Plymouth to give the two sons English names. The older Wamsutta was named Alexander and his younger brother Metacomet was called Philip . The elder son Alexander became after the death of his father Obersachem of the Wampanoag.

He was able to increase the influence of his tribe by selling land to the English settlers. However, these sales resulted from the need to find new sources of money for his tribe, as the fur trade had collapsed due to the shrinking hunting areas. In addition, there were obligations to have to sell land to whites on the basis of contracts with his father.

However, the English colonists did not consider Wamsutta to be trustworthy. They suspected him of planning an attack together with the Narraganset and invited him to Plymouth for talks in 1662 . There he became seriously ill after eating a meal and died shortly afterwards. The Wampanoag cited fever as the cause of death. However, Plymouth Council records show that poison was apparently the cause of death. In the following year Metacomet succeeded his murdered brother as the chief of Wampanoag and was later called King Philip by the English .

Wamsutta is namesake of several places and companies in the USA. A Northern States warship was named USS Wamsutta during the American Civil War .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bruce G. Trigger (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians . Vol. 15 Northeast, Chapter: Pokanoket, p. 171.

Web links

• The Indians in the 17th century