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28-594: His brother's widow Weetamoo , female sachem of the Pocasset , became Metacom's ally and friend for the rest of his life. It is unclear how many children they had or what happened to them. Wootonekanuske and one of their sons were sold into slavery in the West Indies following the defeat of the Native Americans in what became known as King Philip's War . Initially, Metacom sought to live in harmony with

56-576: A praying Indian named John Alderman , on August 12, 1676, in the Miery Swamp near Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island . He was shot by Alderman for killing his brother. After his death, his wife and nine-year-old son were captured and sold as slaves in Bermuda . Philip's head was mounted on a pike at the entrance to Plymouth, Massachusetts , where it remained for more than two decades. His body

84-464: A consequence of expanding European settlement, and other tensions. As the colonists brought their growing numbers to bear, King Philip and some of his followers took refuge in the great Assowampset Swamp in southern Massachusetts . He held out for a time, with his family and remaining followers. Hunted by a group of rangers led by Captain Benjamin Church , King Philip was fatally shot by

112-612: A cultivator of diplomacy. kin It has been theorized that some of the lesser-known sachems assumed to have been male may have been female sunksquas, especially since female leaders were not unheard of among the Algonquian tribes. As a leader of her people Weetamoo traveled to different nations as an ambassador for the Wampanoag people. She was entrusted to represent Pocasset intertwined interests and sovereignty. By 1663, Weetamoo, had learned

140-613: A most horrible and diabolical lamentation, crying out that it was their queen's head. If to lament the sad end of their queen was diabolical on the part of the Indians, what was this cruel mockery of their grief by a Christian minister, and what had the heathen to gain by listening to his teachings, or adhering to his practice?" Peirce Weetamoo/Wattimore appears in Mary Rowlandson 's The Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson. In 1676, Weetamoo and her relative Quinnapin,

168-575: A name which he retained until his death ), her second husband, was the eldest son of Massasoit , grand sachem of the Wampanoag and participant in the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims . They were married in or before 1653, and [it is speculated that] she had one child with Wamsutta, although the date of birth and name are unknown. During their marriage, the tribe allied with the English against

196-477: A vision quest that "kills the child soul" which is a right of passage for males.Weetamoo is an early example of gender fluidity. She performed duties of both male and female Native Americans. Weetamoo learned the ways of agriculture, building permanent and temporary shelters, prepare hides, hunting small animals, fishing, and cooking. Weetamoo was also trained to fight and learned diplomacy and leadership by observing her father and other elders like Massasoit. Her father

224-535: The Narragansett , though the English later broke their treaty with the tribe. Wamsutta became sick and died during negotiations with the English and his brother Metacom (Philip) succeeded him as Chief of the Wampanoag. Metacom's wife was Weetamoo's sister, Wootonekanuske. Little is known about Weetamoo's third husband Quequequanachet, while she ended the marriage to her fourth husband Petonowit (called "Ben" by

252-649: The Pokanoket . Although described as a "determined foe of the English", nonetheless, "with other hostile chiefs he signed a treaty of peace with the English in 1621." Tribes of the Wampanoag federation possessed hunting grounds at Cape Cod , Plymouth , Taunton , Attleboro , Middleborough, Hanson , Duxbury , Freetown , Somerset , Swansea, Mattapoisett , Wareham , and Fall River , in Massachusetts, as well as Tiverton , Aquidneck Island (Newport), Conanicut Island , Little Compton , Bristol , Warren and

280-579: The sachem of Narragansett, attacked a colonial settlement in Lancaster, Massachusetts . Rowlandson, who was captured and held by Quinnapin for three months, left a vivid description of Weetamoo's appearance as well as personality: A severe and proud dame she was, bestowing every day in dressing herself neat as much time as any of the gentry of the land: powdering her hair, and painting her face, going with necklaces, with jewels in her ears, and bracelets upon her hands. When she had dressed herself, her work

308-602: The English ) when he sided with the English during King Philip's War. Her final marriage was to Quinnapin, the son of Niantic Narraganset sachem Ninigret and grandson of powerful Narragansett sachem Canonchet . He was described as "a handsome warrior" and they were married in September or August 1675. This marriage was designed to strengthen and reinforce the Wampanoag-Narragansett alliance against colonists. The marriage appeared to have been strong and

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336-759: The Pocasetts , in The Royal Diaries series. Weetamoo Woods Open Space in Tiverton, Rhode Island is named after Weetamoo. A 50-foot vessel, Weetamoo , built in 1902, "was named after the daughter of an Indian Chief in John Greenleaf Whittier 's poem Bride of Penacook ." The vessel served on Lake Sunapee for 25 years before being scuttled . Lowell YWCA Camp Weetamoo is located on Long-Sought-for Pond in Westford , MA. To

364-460: The Wampanoag may have taken action at the urging of Wamsutta's interpreter, the Christian neophyte John Sassamon . Metacom was later called "King Philip" by the English. King Philip used tribal alliances to coordinate efforts to push European colonists out of New England. Many of the native tribes in the region wanted to push out the colonists following conflicts over land use, diminished game as

392-498: The Wampanoag people Weetamoo was a sunksqua, a bead worker, a dancer, a war chief, a storyteller, and so much more. Weetamoo was one of the best examples of a smart and intelligent sachems. She is also remembered for her remarkable beauty. Weetamoo was known as "Squaw Sachem." Weetamoo gained status among the Wampanoags by virtue of her having been the Wampanoag queen as the wife of the sachem Wamsutta. Corbitant Corbitant

420-640: The Weetamoo Trail (which includes Weetamoo Glen and Weetamoo Rock), and the Six Husbands Trail, a reference to her marriages. However, there is no evidence that Weetamoo ever went to the White Mountains, and the area's focus on her may come from John Greenleaf Whittier's poem "The Bridal of Penacook," which names her as being from the area. Weetamoo's adolescent life is depicted in the young adult historical novel, Weetamoo: Heart of

448-524: The canoes were Metacom's. Martino-Trutor This solidified Weetamoo's decision to ally with Metacom. In addition, Weetamoo forged alliances to fortify her authority and territorial integrity. Her strategy intertwining with other leaders and their families to protect those who depended on them. Brooks ‌Her role in King Philip's War was significantly decreased by the English particularly by Mary Rowlandson and Increase Mather . In reality, by 1675 Weetamoo

476-454: The colonial "deed games". Brooks As tensions grew prior to King Philip's War, Weetamoo, was a highly sought after ally from both Metacom and the English. Martino-Trutor Many believe Weetamoo sided with Metacom was out of revenge for the death of Wamsutta. Another reason she may have sided with Metacom is a group of English soldiers attacked her canoes in June 1675. The group of soldiers thought

504-882: The colonists. As a sachem, he took the lead in much of his tribes' trade with the colonies. He adopted the European name of Philip. The colonies continued to expand. To the west, the Iroquois Confederation also was fighting against neighboring tribes in the Beaver Wars , pushing them from the west and encroaching on Metacom's territory. Finally, in 1671, the colonial leaders of the Plymouth Colony forced major concessions from him. Metacom surrendered much of his tribe's armament and ammunition, and agreed that they were subject to English law. The encroachment continued until hostilities broke out in 1675. In

532-522: The pair had at least one child together, who died in 1676. Quinnapin was captured in 1676. Because her father had no sons, she became sunksqua between the death of her husband Wamsutta and her remarriage to Quequequanachet. Being a woman did not diminish her authority, despite many colonists' lack of understanding of her position. Weetamoo was depicted "as potent a Prince as any round about her, and had as much corn, land, and men, at her command" as King Philip. Weetamoo's leadership arose from her role as

560-439: The spring of 1660, Metacom's brother Wamsutta appeared before the court of Plymouth to request that he and his brother be given English names in accordance with Wampanoag custom, in which new names marked significant moments in time (such as, in this case, Wamsutta's father's death). The court agreed and Wamsutta had his name changed to Alexander, and Metacom's was changed to Philip. Author Nathaniel Philbrick has suggested that

588-498: The white settlers. Fearing for their lives, Hobomok was able to escape and run back to Plymouth, where he rallied the pilgrims under Miles Standish . Standish led ten armed men of Plymouth to rescue Tisquantum from Corbitant. They attacked the Wampanoag village at Nemasket , but by that time Corbitant had released Squanto and withdrawn from the area. Corbitant was nominally obedient to the Great Sachem Massasoit of

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616-527: Was Corbitant , sachem of the Pocasset tribe in present-day North Tiverton, Rhode Island , c. 1618–1630. In her lifetime, she had five husbands: Winnepurket, Wamsutta (Alexander), Quequequanachet, Petonowit, and Quinnapin . Her first husband, Winnepurket, was the Sachem of Saugus, Massachusetts and died shortly after they were married. Wamsutta (alternatively known by the English as Alexander,

644-720: Was a Wampanoag sachem under Massasoit . Corbitant was the sachem of the Pocasset tribe in present-day North Tiverton, Rhode Island , c. 1618–1630. He lived in Mattapuyst or Mattapoiset, located in the southern part of today's Swansea , Massachusetts . In the summer of 1621, he was involved in a minor altercation with the Plymouth colony involving the Patuxet refugee Tisquantum ("Squanto") at present-day Middleborough , Massachusetts. Corbitant had menaced both Tisquantum and his companion Hobomok for their close ties with

672-421: Was a prominent English colony. The story of her corpse being beheaded comes from the writings of minister Increase Mather . The English were so afraid of Weetamoo’s power, they cut off her head and mounted it on a pike. They left her head on display in front of a settlement in order to prove she really had died. When the remaining Wampanoag people saw what the English had done Increase Mather stated: "They made

700-409: Was cut into quarters and hung in trees. Alderman was given Philip's right hand as a trophy. Numerous places are named after Metacomet: One insect species is named after Metacomet: Weetamoo Weetamoo (pronounced Wee-TAH-moo) (c. 1635–1676), also referred to as Weethao , Weetamoe , Wattimore , Namumpum , and Tatapanunum , was a Pocasset Wampanoag Native American Chief. She

728-528: Was the sunksqua , or female sachem , of Pocasset tribe, which occupied contemporary Tiverton, Rhode Island in 1620. The Pocasset, which she led, was one of the groups of the Wampanoag. Weetamoo was born in the Mattapoiset village of the Pokanoket or at Rhode Island's Taunton River area. She was also close friends with another female sachem Awashonks . Weetamoo was also close friends with brothers Wamsutta and Metacomet as young girl. Weetamoo went on

756-664: Was the leader of all allied tribes in the Wampanoag Confederation . In February of 1676, Weetamoo led a raid on the English in the Battle of Blood Rock that resulted in the capture of Mary Rowlandson . At the Battle of Blood Rock Weetamoo commanded an army of more than 300 warriors. Weetamoo drowned in the Taunton River while leading a charge against the English in 1676. Her body washed ashore in Swansea which

784-439: Was to make girdles of wampum and beads. Only women of rank were allowed to produce "Girdles of wampom and beads", and Weetamoo's production of these items reinforced her status. Wampum belts would be strung together with shells and were often used among Native Americans to deliver messages accompanied by speeches. Many places in the White Mountains of New Hampshire are also named after her, such as Weetamoo Falls, Mount Weetamoo,

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