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The Royal Diaries
Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets, Massachusetts - Rhode Island, 1653
It is 1654 in New England, native land of Algonquin tribes, among them the Pocasset, Wampanoag, and Narrangansett people. The pilgrims -- called Coat-men by the Wampanoag -- have settled here in the natives' territory at Patuxit, a place that the Pilgrims have renamed Plymouth. Weetamoo's father, Corbitant, is sachem, or chief, of the Pocassets. He is mistrustful of the colonists and imparts his beliefs about them to his daughter, who is next in line to become chief. Weetamoo must learn the fundamental values and disciplines of a true Pocasset chief.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published August 27, 2001
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July 19, 2021
I read this particular "Royal Diary" several years ago but was pleasantly surprised to hear this tribal leader's name/character appear in the audiobook I'm currently listening to called Flight of the Sparrow by Amy Belding Brown! In both books, she is portrayed as an intelligent and compassionate leader.
February 4, 2015
I was definitely too old to be reading this, but since I love Native American culture I thought it would be enjoyable and provide some useful information about this tribe. I knew she was a younger girl from the back of the book, and I don't like reading about someone younger than me, especially so much younger than me. I did like that Weetamoo was good at tracking and had skills that would normally be considered for a boy. She wasn't the most obedient, and needed lessons here and there, and I liked her spirit and determination to lead her people. I was really enjoying reading her story and learning about the Pocassets.
Massasoit has two sons, Wamsutta who is older than Weetamoo, brave and speaks his mind. Metacom is younger and quiet. Her and Wamsutta were so interesting and I couldn't wait to see his name on the page. I loved how they sparred and purposely said things to anger each other.
I generally liked Weetamoo and her qualities, actions and thoughts, but then were some unlikable traits about her that made me like her less. So many authors go too far with strong characters and end up making them cruel, mean, insensitive and too tough. Strength doesn't mean being hard, you can still be compassionate and nice, and when characters start becoming mean instead of strong that's when I start disliking them. She was also a little conceited about herself which was also unlikable. Weetamoo said she tracked animals and all that better than every other girl or boy. That was pretty stuck-up and that wasn't cool. You can be proud yet humble, not think you're better than everyone else. Then she almost outran her little sister, who likes to follow her around and be near her, and she calls her little moss-for-brains and mouse-heart, that Wootonekanuske (that's her name) needs to stand taller and be braver. Her sister was upset she didn't do well at a game, and Weetamoo thinks that she needed to complain less and practice more. Why can't someone ever be strong and compassionate? If someone's compassionate they're always weak, and if they're strong they're mean and heartless.
As soon as Wamsutta was introduced I savored every time he was mentioned; I love romance and chemistry even though they're young, and I couldn't wait for him to appear. The setup quickly became tiring and redundant though. At one point there's a section where over the course of like 3 separate times Weetamoo and her friend Cedar talk about their visions but don't get it all out and so say it in spurts when they briefly meet up. It took 3 or 4 times to get it all out. At times like that I think it could've been written more smoothly. I just got sick of the short segments that wouldn't cover much time at all. Like that morning, later that day, the next day, a few days later, etc. Idk if a diary was the best way to write this, but I know that I wanted time to pass differently. There weren't enough conversations, it was constantly her thoughts narrating what had already happened, and I longed for conversations. It was also written very simply, I know because she was a young girl, but I really wanted more from the story, like for her to get older and have something concrete happen instead of a girl thinking about the future.
I liked these quotes the best:
"Metacom is a thoughtful, brave person. But somehow he does not cause me to feel both shy and alive the way Wamsutta does. I can see the way Wootonekanuske looks at Metacom with such admiration, and I think it is no accident that he always wears the woven belt she gave him. Metacom could never be my husband. But maybe he will indeed be my brother-in-law someday. I would be very glad of that. Wootonekanuske and Metacom are very young, but I think they already know each other's hearts. And I think I know mine."
"I met Wamsutta downstream from Peskeompskut. Well, to tell the truth, I did not exactly meet him. I more or less followed him.
"What are you looking for, little Pocasset girl?" he said, turning around to meet me.
I said that I was certainly not looking for anything he could give me, but I think he knew right away that I did not mean that. He reached out and touched my cheek very gently.
"Nothing? Are you sure of that?" he asked. I scarcely know how it happened, but suddenly we were in each other's arms.
Once he was holding me close, it seemed as if my tongue would not stop talking. When I told him about my baby sister's death, he wiped my tear's away. I spoke about the Forming Child we expect in the Harvest Moon. He said he was very happy for our family. Somehow, I went on to tell him that I thought he was a very careless and boastful person. By then I was laughing and crying at the same time. He just kept looking down and grinning at me, finally I said that supposed I loved him."
I just turned and wham! Epilogue. I was like what?!? Then the bomb was dropped that Weetamoo didn't marry Wamsutta but married someone else first! It ruined the entire story for me because it was set up that they loved each other and were going to get married, so where did this other guy come from? It sucked. I was so ready to give this 3 stars because of the love and their teasing relationship and the info about Wampanoag Indians, when I was expecting more interaction from them and for them to actually get together-until that happened. I was ready to choose 1 star right then and there. It's mainly that the story of Weetamoo's real life was so tragic and the fact that she married someone before Wamsutta and then married 3 men after him! Gosh that really sucks. But it's also the setup that she loved Wamsutta so I feel like it was a cruel tease.
This is why I don't like true stories. They all end badly, there's hardly a good ending to be found. I know when you're dealing with real historical figures and things that have already happened you have to stay true to it, but that doesn't tame the heartbreak one bit! Their stories were so tragic and their fates so terrible. The details were ghastly. Weetamoo was killed and her head was cut off as a warning to others. Metacom was killed and parts of his body were distributed in several different places. I just can't believe the girl and boys in this story met such an end and it was terrible reading an innocent little child's life and then finding out what she went through later. If I was a kid reading this I would have been even more horrified. I guess I should've seen it coming though from the hints the author threw out that the future wasn't going to be a good one. Her and her friend separated and weren't really friends anymore, they were each sachems of diff tribes or something. And she had a vision of the future where Metacom and her sister are together, but she's alone with a baby I think and Wamsutta is dead. That clued me in to a dismal future but I hoped it wouldn't happen. This wasn't really that appropriate for children's novel, it was a nightmare with that ending.
The book was really pretty though. I loved the hardcover and the gold edges on the pages.
There was so much good information in here. They were catching crabs, tracking deer, snaring rabbits, hoeing, weeding the fields, sewing, tanning hides, harvesting corn. Her dad taught her and her sister to paddle a canoe. There was a story of how crows carried corn kernels and gave them to her people, so that's why they never kill these birds and always leave corn for them to eat, and only scare them away from the fields. They give thanks around the year for the fish runs, ripening strawberries, and at harvest time. There was a legend of Squant and the square eyes and how the girls were to become sachems and repeated the tale over again so they'd be able to retell it. They also needed to know how to hunt to provide for their people. The designs for their baskets sometimes came in dreams. They sew aprons and breechclouts, make regalia and do the beading and quillwork decorations. They spread ointment from the red juice of the bloodroot plant to keep flies away. The children gather rocks and driftwood and seaweed for the cooking pit on the beach.
When girls start their monthly cycles they're initiated and then taught about how their bodies work and how to care for themselves at that time. I wish more info had been given about that particular bit, what exactly they do. They believed the spirit was strong within them for those first few days, and they're taught how the woman is the center of the family's center place, the wetu. Their bodies are like the earth because they both bring forth the new crop of their people so that's why women till the ground and tend the gardens.
They play a game called snowsnake, making a trough through the snow, then letting it ice over and throwing a stick down to see whose goes the farthest. They use wampum as money, and it's made out of whelk and quahog shells, whose designs that mean certain things and can be made into belts. Wampum can be used for trading or exchange. Purple is more valuable than white. They're mostly used for special ceremonies like when they mark an important exchange such as when they grant a treaty to another band allowing them to fish in their waters, or when a young man's family pays a dowry to the bride's family so they can marry.
At the winter ceremony they have the winter accounting and go over everything that happened over the year since the last winter, like a meteor shower or good spring salmon fishing. Some elders can recite things that have happened since the beginning of their people's creation. They invite all the other Wampanoag tribes, build a new longhouse a hundred paces long to fit nearly everyone inside. They gather to play hubbub, a game where five pieces of bone are colored black on one side and the men bet on how many are going to come up black. The winner gets wampum belts. They meet for storytelling and councils. In mourning they blacken their faces with soot.
Massasoit has two sons, Wamsutta who is older than Weetamoo, brave and speaks his mind. Metacom is younger and quiet. Her and Wamsutta were so interesting and I couldn't wait to see his name on the page. I loved how they sparred and purposely said things to anger each other.
I generally liked Weetamoo and her qualities, actions and thoughts, but then were some unlikable traits about her that made me like her less. So many authors go too far with strong characters and end up making them cruel, mean, insensitive and too tough. Strength doesn't mean being hard, you can still be compassionate and nice, and when characters start becoming mean instead of strong that's when I start disliking them. She was also a little conceited about herself which was also unlikable. Weetamoo said she tracked animals and all that better than every other girl or boy. That was pretty stuck-up and that wasn't cool. You can be proud yet humble, not think you're better than everyone else. Then she almost outran her little sister, who likes to follow her around and be near her, and she calls her little moss-for-brains and mouse-heart, that Wootonekanuske (that's her name) needs to stand taller and be braver. Her sister was upset she didn't do well at a game, and Weetamoo thinks that she needed to complain less and practice more. Why can't someone ever be strong and compassionate? If someone's compassionate they're always weak, and if they're strong they're mean and heartless.
As soon as Wamsutta was introduced I savored every time he was mentioned; I love romance and chemistry even though they're young, and I couldn't wait for him to appear. The setup quickly became tiring and redundant though. At one point there's a section where over the course of like 3 separate times Weetamoo and her friend Cedar talk about their visions but don't get it all out and so say it in spurts when they briefly meet up. It took 3 or 4 times to get it all out. At times like that I think it could've been written more smoothly. I just got sick of the short segments that wouldn't cover much time at all. Like that morning, later that day, the next day, a few days later, etc. Idk if a diary was the best way to write this, but I know that I wanted time to pass differently. There weren't enough conversations, it was constantly her thoughts narrating what had already happened, and I longed for conversations. It was also written very simply, I know because she was a young girl, but I really wanted more from the story, like for her to get older and have something concrete happen instead of a girl thinking about the future.
I liked these quotes the best:
"Metacom is a thoughtful, brave person. But somehow he does not cause me to feel both shy and alive the way Wamsutta does. I can see the way Wootonekanuske looks at Metacom with such admiration, and I think it is no accident that he always wears the woven belt she gave him. Metacom could never be my husband. But maybe he will indeed be my brother-in-law someday. I would be very glad of that. Wootonekanuske and Metacom are very young, but I think they already know each other's hearts. And I think I know mine."
"I met Wamsutta downstream from Peskeompskut. Well, to tell the truth, I did not exactly meet him. I more or less followed him.
"What are you looking for, little Pocasset girl?" he said, turning around to meet me.
I said that I was certainly not looking for anything he could give me, but I think he knew right away that I did not mean that. He reached out and touched my cheek very gently.
"Nothing? Are you sure of that?" he asked. I scarcely know how it happened, but suddenly we were in each other's arms.
Once he was holding me close, it seemed as if my tongue would not stop talking. When I told him about my baby sister's death, he wiped my tear's away. I spoke about the Forming Child we expect in the Harvest Moon. He said he was very happy for our family. Somehow, I went on to tell him that I thought he was a very careless and boastful person. By then I was laughing and crying at the same time. He just kept looking down and grinning at me, finally I said that supposed I loved him."
I just turned and wham! Epilogue. I was like what?!? Then the bomb was dropped that Weetamoo didn't marry Wamsutta but married someone else first! It ruined the entire story for me because it was set up that they loved each other and were going to get married, so where did this other guy come from? It sucked. I was so ready to give this 3 stars because of the love and their teasing relationship and the info about Wampanoag Indians, when I was expecting more interaction from them and for them to actually get together-until that happened. I was ready to choose 1 star right then and there. It's mainly that the story of Weetamoo's real life was so tragic and the fact that she married someone before Wamsutta and then married 3 men after him! Gosh that really sucks. But it's also the setup that she loved Wamsutta so I feel like it was a cruel tease.
This is why I don't like true stories. They all end badly, there's hardly a good ending to be found. I know when you're dealing with real historical figures and things that have already happened you have to stay true to it, but that doesn't tame the heartbreak one bit! Their stories were so tragic and their fates so terrible. The details were ghastly. Weetamoo was killed and her head was cut off as a warning to others. Metacom was killed and parts of his body were distributed in several different places. I just can't believe the girl and boys in this story met such an end and it was terrible reading an innocent little child's life and then finding out what she went through later. If I was a kid reading this I would have been even more horrified. I guess I should've seen it coming though from the hints the author threw out that the future wasn't going to be a good one. Her and her friend separated and weren't really friends anymore, they were each sachems of diff tribes or something. And she had a vision of the future where Metacom and her sister are together, but she's alone with a baby I think and Wamsutta is dead. That clued me in to a dismal future but I hoped it wouldn't happen. This wasn't really that appropriate for children's novel, it was a nightmare with that ending.
The book was really pretty though. I loved the hardcover and the gold edges on the pages.
There was so much good information in here. They were catching crabs, tracking deer, snaring rabbits, hoeing, weeding the fields, sewing, tanning hides, harvesting corn. Her dad taught her and her sister to paddle a canoe. There was a story of how crows carried corn kernels and gave them to her people, so that's why they never kill these birds and always leave corn for them to eat, and only scare them away from the fields. They give thanks around the year for the fish runs, ripening strawberries, and at harvest time. There was a legend of Squant and the square eyes and how the girls were to become sachems and repeated the tale over again so they'd be able to retell it. They also needed to know how to hunt to provide for their people. The designs for their baskets sometimes came in dreams. They sew aprons and breechclouts, make regalia and do the beading and quillwork decorations. They spread ointment from the red juice of the bloodroot plant to keep flies away. The children gather rocks and driftwood and seaweed for the cooking pit on the beach.
When girls start their monthly cycles they're initiated and then taught about how their bodies work and how to care for themselves at that time. I wish more info had been given about that particular bit, what exactly they do. They believed the spirit was strong within them for those first few days, and they're taught how the woman is the center of the family's center place, the wetu. Their bodies are like the earth because they both bring forth the new crop of their people so that's why women till the ground and tend the gardens.
They play a game called snowsnake, making a trough through the snow, then letting it ice over and throwing a stick down to see whose goes the farthest. They use wampum as money, and it's made out of whelk and quahog shells, whose designs that mean certain things and can be made into belts. Wampum can be used for trading or exchange. Purple is more valuable than white. They're mostly used for special ceremonies like when they mark an important exchange such as when they grant a treaty to another band allowing them to fish in their waters, or when a young man's family pays a dowry to the bride's family so they can marry.
At the winter ceremony they have the winter accounting and go over everything that happened over the year since the last winter, like a meteor shower or good spring salmon fishing. Some elders can recite things that have happened since the beginning of their people's creation. They invite all the other Wampanoag tribes, build a new longhouse a hundred paces long to fit nearly everyone inside. They gather to play hubbub, a game where five pieces of bone are colored black on one side and the men bet on how many are going to come up black. The winner gets wampum belts. They meet for storytelling and councils. In mourning they blacken their faces with soot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2016
I have to say I enjoy the non-European Royal Diaries better than their European counterparts just because they were able to do a lot more. This book was especially interesting because the author clearly focused on the Native American art of storytelling and presents the story in a way that would make sense given the cultural appreciation for oral history. Weetamoo's story was very interesting. My one issue was that it seemed to end a bit abruptly and left a few loose ends.
May 26, 2024
Book: Weetammo: Heart of the Pocassets
Author: Patricia Clark Smith
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
I used to read the Royal Diaries all the time when I was in middle school. I am going to be honest right now. I thought this one was okay the first time I read it. Now, that I am older and have gone back to revisit it, I must say that I enjoyed it more. It’s not perfect, but it is well done.
In this one, we follow Weetammo, who is a member of the Wampanoag tribe during the time of the arrival of the Pilgrims and Puritans. She is next to rule the Pocassets, which is a branch of the tribe. She is excited to rule because she is tired of her day-to-day life and of people telling her what to do. She cannot wait to have that power. Yet, as she grows, she comes to see that things are not always so easy and that choices come with consequences. Some of them are not major, but some will leave an impact.
It was through this book that I became familiar with Weetammo. She is a woman in American history who does not get a whole lot of attention. She ruled her tribe in her name and right during a time when women did not have much power in society. The Wampanoag are an exception to this rule. I know that colonial history does not focus on her and her impact, but it’s sad to see this. She has been shoved to the side. (This is why for my research projects I have my students do that she makes an appearance.) I also find it sad that this book is hard to track down. (At least, I had trouble finding a copy recently.) it’s a nice change from the European books in this series.
One thing I do wish people would keep in mind is that this was written for upper elementary/middle grade. It reads like it and does read on the younger side. However, this should not stop you from enjoying it. I would just encourage you to keep that in mind while reading.
Overall, this is a book that I enjoyed much more now that I am older than I did when I was younger.
Author: Patricia Clark Smith
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars
I used to read the Royal Diaries all the time when I was in middle school. I am going to be honest right now. I thought this one was okay the first time I read it. Now, that I am older and have gone back to revisit it, I must say that I enjoyed it more. It’s not perfect, but it is well done.
In this one, we follow Weetammo, who is a member of the Wampanoag tribe during the time of the arrival of the Pilgrims and Puritans. She is next to rule the Pocassets, which is a branch of the tribe. She is excited to rule because she is tired of her day-to-day life and of people telling her what to do. She cannot wait to have that power. Yet, as she grows, she comes to see that things are not always so easy and that choices come with consequences. Some of them are not major, but some will leave an impact.
It was through this book that I became familiar with Weetammo. She is a woman in American history who does not get a whole lot of attention. She ruled her tribe in her name and right during a time when women did not have much power in society. The Wampanoag are an exception to this rule. I know that colonial history does not focus on her and her impact, but it’s sad to see this. She has been shoved to the side. (This is why for my research projects I have my students do that she makes an appearance.) I also find it sad that this book is hard to track down. (At least, I had trouble finding a copy recently.) it’s a nice change from the European books in this series.
One thing I do wish people would keep in mind is that this was written for upper elementary/middle grade. It reads like it and does read on the younger side. However, this should not stop you from enjoying it. I would just encourage you to keep that in mind while reading.
Overall, this is a book that I enjoyed much more now that I am older than I did when I was younger.
February 14, 2014
Meh. That’s all I really have to say about Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets. This should have been a really interesting book because so far it’s the only one I’ve read where the narrator in reality would not actually have been able to read or write. Okay, fair enough; Native Americans have a great oral storytelling tradition and I’d never heard of Weetamoo before.
But there wasn’t anything really great about this book. I learned a lot about Native Americans in early-contact days with settlers, especially their daily life, and I certainly learned a lot about Weetamoo herself, but the book never really made the leap from decent to great. Weetamoo was a great narrator, the book was informative and it was reasonably well paced, but nothing really stood out. Maybe it was Patricia Clark Smith’s simplistic writing style or the fact that I’ve been reading way too many Royal Diaries lately, but it was only meh.
If you or your tween/teen like uplifting endings, this book is also not for you. Weetamoo fought against the settlers later in life, so you can imagine what a depressing Historical Note that makes. But if you want to learn more about American history, Native American culture and Weetamoo, an important but largely forgotten historical figure, you’ll love this book.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
But there wasn’t anything really great about this book. I learned a lot about Native Americans in early-contact days with settlers, especially their daily life, and I certainly learned a lot about Weetamoo herself, but the book never really made the leap from decent to great. Weetamoo was a great narrator, the book was informative and it was reasonably well paced, but nothing really stood out. Maybe it was Patricia Clark Smith’s simplistic writing style or the fact that I’ve been reading way too many Royal Diaries lately, but it was only meh.
If you or your tween/teen like uplifting endings, this book is also not for you. Weetamoo fought against the settlers later in life, so you can imagine what a depressing Historical Note that makes. But if you want to learn more about American history, Native American culture and Weetamoo, an important but largely forgotten historical figure, you’ll love this book.
I give this book 3/5 stars.
January 8, 2024
LOVED! Why didn’t we read this in school? My elementary school library stocked all the other Royal Diaries, but not this one, which is ironic because we were on Wampanoag land. Thankful that the publishers asked a Massachusetts woman of Miq’maq/Algonquin heritage to write this - I’m looking forward to learning more and wish we were taught more about this part of history (and present day Indigenous communities) in school as kids.
June 4, 2024
After discovering through 23 & Me that I have Indigenous American ancestry I started researching. According to family tree, geneology, ancestry.com etc my family tree shows that I am decended from Weetamoo. I personally think the connection is a stretch but reading this book was interesting to see what maybe life might have been like for whomever my ancestor was. Sadly the violence they also experienced was a reminder of how this country really came to be.
October 26, 2019
This book, and Weetamoo, are fascinating. Weetamo was a prominent figure In King Phillips war. We’ve all heard of that right? Who actually knows what it was about? Nearly 50yrs after the pilgrims came to Plymouth, and the peace that was kept between them and the natives started dwindling when those original leaders started dying. the next generation couldn’t seem to keep the peace, and what resulted was the bloodiest war, with the most deaths per 100k people in American history, setting the roots for the distrust between the Americans and the natives for the next couple hundred years. The historical and informative section at the end of this is very extensive. The author is related to the natives of the area she wrote about on both sides of her family tree and she knows and learned a lot about the areas they went to and what they did during that time.
The diary portion of the story was entirely fictional but based off of what we do know about Weetamoo’s family and what life was like during that time. The author did a great job putting together a story that will hold your interest. Characters you can care about and are interested in. Enough info to keep you from being confused but also enough story and writing in each entry to keep it flowing. My favorite part was learning what Weetamoo and her friend Cedar saw when they were sent away to fast for two days alone in the woods. They both were to grow up to be leaders of their respective bands and had to do this to prepare them. They were each there to find a spirit guide/see visions and dreams that would tell them something important. I very much enjoyed my time with this book and finished it much faster than I expected to. Signs of a great book.
The diary portion of the story was entirely fictional but based off of what we do know about Weetamoo’s family and what life was like during that time. The author did a great job putting together a story that will hold your interest. Characters you can care about and are interested in. Enough info to keep you from being confused but also enough story and writing in each entry to keep it flowing. My favorite part was learning what Weetamoo and her friend Cedar saw when they were sent away to fast for two days alone in the woods. They both were to grow up to be leaders of their respective bands and had to do this to prepare them. They were each there to find a spirit guide/see visions and dreams that would tell them something important. I very much enjoyed my time with this book and finished it much faster than I expected to. Signs of a great book.
March 12, 2018
I grew up loving the Royal Diaries series, but only had access to books about European rulers. How fascinating it was to find a "diary" about a young Pocasett woman who could neither read nor write. I do like how the author structured this account as a series of thoughts. Weetamo's worry over her future, both immediate with her youngest sister, and far in the present ways heavily throughout this book, as it certainly did in her life. I greatly appreciated this account but I do feel it left off rather abruptly.
May 29, 2018
This was a dry read and I found the author could have done so much more with this young woman and her personality. Although it was a good book to find out more about the daily life of the Pocasset people. The Historical accuracy can't be disputed but it could have been more robust for the age group the book was written. I use this series for the Girl Scout JR badge Playing the past but I tell girls this is not a very exciting book and can be a dry read before they choose this novel.
Ace of Pentacles- This shows the beginning of a journey into the wealth of the land.
Ace of Pentacles- This shows the beginning of a journey into the wealth of the land.
April 18, 2015
My childhood!! *heartbreak*
November 25, 2020
Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassetts is part of the Royal Diaries series I adored as an elementary schooler. It takes place about a generation after the first Thanksgiving. Most of the titles in the epistolary series feature princesses who came from an eras and cultures where they could keep diaries. But Weetamoo, the girl who grew up to be a sachem (chief) of the Pocasset people, couldn't read or write, which brings me to my favorite part of this book: the structure.
The "diary" element is a series of stream of consciousness narratives, presented as Weetamoo meditating on her life in quiet times when she goes to sit in nature and be apart from the rest of her village. These narratives are interspersed by birchbark drawings Weetamoo makes of objects and animals from her everyday life, elders' oral tales, and prayers to her favorite goddess, Squant. Weetamoo's tale takes place about a generation after the first Thanksgiving. I was floored by the structure in just the first few pages. An epistolary novel with a protagonist who can't read or write!
White people (called the Coat-men) are around, but Weetamoo's mostly isolated from them. The story opens with corn harvesting and a great fall feast, which reads as a nice nod to the Thanksgiving vibe. Sometimes the slice of life stuff gets boring and I was itching for her to have more interactions with the Coat-men instead of reading more "Dear diary, today I ground corn again" type stuff. But I remind myself that I'm no longer the target age for the book. I remember reading the other Royal Diaries books when I was nine years old and being fascinated by the day-to-day details of exotic cultures, so I think it's fitting.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a spiritual narrative here, too. Weetamoo undertakes a coming of age ritual where she fasts and sits apart from her village for two straight days. She enters a dream state and has a visions, both a tender, peaceful one of Squant and an ominous one where she sees her adult self marked for death as a leader of an uprising against the Coat-men.
My favorite passage is one where she reflects on the pros and cons of modernization and what that would mean for her tribe's spirituality and oral culture:
One thing is plain to me. I do not want iron kettles or glass beads or anything to do with this reading-the-marks business, not if it means living in square Coat-man towns and not being in the care of our Creator and Squant and Mother Corn and all the rest of the Beings who quicken our world.
This is the other thing I have been thinking about the Coat-man's writing. If we do learn it, it might make us lazy...what if, whenever we waned a story, we could just reach out and read it from a paper, instead of waiting for the right time and place and the right storyteller to tell it to us?
-pg. 93 and 94
I don't know if I would've been so moved by the significance of this passage as a young reader, but as a college student who's studied folklore, I was floored. Together with The Mayflower Bride (which I'll review next), Weetamoo formed the perfect pair of contrasting religious freedom reads for the Thanksgiving week.
The "diary" element is a series of stream of consciousness narratives, presented as Weetamoo meditating on her life in quiet times when she goes to sit in nature and be apart from the rest of her village. These narratives are interspersed by birchbark drawings Weetamoo makes of objects and animals from her everyday life, elders' oral tales, and prayers to her favorite goddess, Squant. Weetamoo's tale takes place about a generation after the first Thanksgiving. I was floored by the structure in just the first few pages. An epistolary novel with a protagonist who can't read or write!
White people (called the Coat-men) are around, but Weetamoo's mostly isolated from them. The story opens with corn harvesting and a great fall feast, which reads as a nice nod to the Thanksgiving vibe. Sometimes the slice of life stuff gets boring and I was itching for her to have more interactions with the Coat-men instead of reading more "Dear diary, today I ground corn again" type stuff. But I remind myself that I'm no longer the target age for the book. I remember reading the other Royal Diaries books when I was nine years old and being fascinated by the day-to-day details of exotic cultures, so I think it's fitting.
I was pleasantly surprised to find a spiritual narrative here, too. Weetamoo undertakes a coming of age ritual where she fasts and sits apart from her village for two straight days. She enters a dream state and has a visions, both a tender, peaceful one of Squant and an ominous one where she sees her adult self marked for death as a leader of an uprising against the Coat-men.
My favorite passage is one where she reflects on the pros and cons of modernization and what that would mean for her tribe's spirituality and oral culture:
One thing is plain to me. I do not want iron kettles or glass beads or anything to do with this reading-the-marks business, not if it means living in square Coat-man towns and not being in the care of our Creator and Squant and Mother Corn and all the rest of the Beings who quicken our world.
This is the other thing I have been thinking about the Coat-man's writing. If we do learn it, it might make us lazy...what if, whenever we waned a story, we could just reach out and read it from a paper, instead of waiting for the right time and place and the right storyteller to tell it to us?
-pg. 93 and 94
I don't know if I would've been so moved by the significance of this passage as a young reader, but as a college student who's studied folklore, I was floored. Together with The Mayflower Bride (which I'll review next), Weetamoo formed the perfect pair of contrasting religious freedom reads for the Thanksgiving week.
March 21, 2020
Sadly, the draft for this review had been sitting in my system for awhile, and, when I opened it, there was nothing in it I also had not taken very many notes for this read, which is sad because I remember enjoying it.
Weetamoo, like several other princesses in this series, comes from a non-literate society, so what we know about her has been passed down orally through the Pocasset people, or has come from elsewhere. In an interview Clark Smith admits this was both a challenge and freedom as “almost nothing (is) known about Weetamoo’s life prior to her marriage to Wamsutta so I could (had to) invent a great deal. ”
In the “diary” we are reading, Weetamoo is presented as having some quiet thinking time, so it is her thoughts we are presented with rather than her written words, although she is shown to draw images and to capture stories in other ways. At the various gatherings that occur between the Pocasset and other tribes oral tales are shared, so all communications that these people would have used are presented in one way or another.
Weetamoo is shown to be a competitive and headstrong girl. She is determined to outdo others of her age and is determined to do all that she can to be the best ruler for her people. Unfortunately, sometimes being headstrong leads to trouble, which is why there is a need for some quiet time in thought.
I do like that the story shows that not all Pilgrims or Indians were set on a course of violence and distrust towards each other. Sometimes it does feel that when two different peoples come together there can only be difference, misunderstanding and violence. This story shows that it wasn’t the intent of all the people on either side, but that it was the actions of a few that set the course down a path that ended so many lives.
I am finding the devices used to foretell the events that will take place after these stories have been told a little annoying. I know that many “native” tribes did do things to try and bring about visions and would do a “vision quest”, but it does feel like a cheats way of bringing this part of story to light. I do wish, in some ways, that the “What happens next” part of the story could be left for the reader to find out for themselves or for them to read in the note that followed.
Weetamo is not as well known as some other Native American women, most likely due to her difficult relationship with the white colonists, but that does not make her story any less interesting, or less important and necessary to be told.
Weetamoo, like several other princesses in this series, comes from a non-literate society, so what we know about her has been passed down orally through the Pocasset people, or has come from elsewhere. In an interview Clark Smith admits this was both a challenge and freedom as “almost nothing (is) known about Weetamoo’s life prior to her marriage to Wamsutta so I could (had to) invent a great deal. ”
In the “diary” we are reading, Weetamoo is presented as having some quiet thinking time, so it is her thoughts we are presented with rather than her written words, although she is shown to draw images and to capture stories in other ways. At the various gatherings that occur between the Pocasset and other tribes oral tales are shared, so all communications that these people would have used are presented in one way or another.
Weetamoo is shown to be a competitive and headstrong girl. She is determined to outdo others of her age and is determined to do all that she can to be the best ruler for her people. Unfortunately, sometimes being headstrong leads to trouble, which is why there is a need for some quiet time in thought.
I do like that the story shows that not all Pilgrims or Indians were set on a course of violence and distrust towards each other. Sometimes it does feel that when two different peoples come together there can only be difference, misunderstanding and violence. This story shows that it wasn’t the intent of all the people on either side, but that it was the actions of a few that set the course down a path that ended so many lives.
I am finding the devices used to foretell the events that will take place after these stories have been told a little annoying. I know that many “native” tribes did do things to try and bring about visions and would do a “vision quest”, but it does feel like a cheats way of bringing this part of story to light. I do wish, in some ways, that the “What happens next” part of the story could be left for the reader to find out for themselves or for them to read in the note that followed.
Weetamo is not as well known as some other Native American women, most likely due to her difficult relationship with the white colonists, but that does not make her story any less interesting, or less important and necessary to be told.
March 19, 2020
Weetamoo, Heart of the Pocassets, is written in diary form. Weetamoo writes about everything she loves, hates and worries about in her diary, as well as things she does day to day. At the beginning of the book she is very impatient and irresponsible, but is learning and growing as she writes. Patricia Clark Smith, the author of the novel, writes about patience and responsibility throughout the novel. As Weetamoo gets older, and is learning to become the next Sachem of the Pocassets, she writes about how she is slowly finding the patience. She also learns how to be responsible after a few misguided incidents.
I liked the book, but I wish there was more. For example, the book ends after Weetamoo and her family go back to Mettapoiset, where the Pocassets live in the summer. The book ends, but there is a lengthy epilogue that Smith could have written into the book. The epilogue goes into some detail about who Weetamoo became, and how she worked with her brother-in-law to fight the pilgrims in King Philips’ War. In my opinion Smith could have added the epilogue into the book, which would have been amazing.
The book leaves the reader with a few questions. One question I have is what happens between the end of the book and the epilogue? Is there a big gap in time or is it shortly after the story ends? The epilogue begins with explaining who Weetamoo married, so could it have been a year or 5 years later? I would also like to know what happened to the rest of Weetamoos’ family. The book said that Weetamoos’ mother was pregnant, so what ever happened to her? What happened to Wootonekanuske and her son after she was sold into the slave trade by the Pilgrims? The books’ epilogue explains how Weetamoo, Metacom, and Wamsutta died, but never says anything about who then took charge of the Pocassets and Wampanoags. What happened to their people when the three of them died? I liked this book, but it left me with some questions. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history, especially Native American history.
I liked the book, but I wish there was more. For example, the book ends after Weetamoo and her family go back to Mettapoiset, where the Pocassets live in the summer. The book ends, but there is a lengthy epilogue that Smith could have written into the book. The epilogue goes into some detail about who Weetamoo became, and how she worked with her brother-in-law to fight the pilgrims in King Philips’ War. In my opinion Smith could have added the epilogue into the book, which would have been amazing.
The book leaves the reader with a few questions. One question I have is what happens between the end of the book and the epilogue? Is there a big gap in time or is it shortly after the story ends? The epilogue begins with explaining who Weetamoo married, so could it have been a year or 5 years later? I would also like to know what happened to the rest of Weetamoos’ family. The book said that Weetamoos’ mother was pregnant, so what ever happened to her? What happened to Wootonekanuske and her son after she was sold into the slave trade by the Pilgrims? The books’ epilogue explains how Weetamoo, Metacom, and Wamsutta died, but never says anything about who then took charge of the Pocassets and Wampanoags. What happened to their people when the three of them died? I liked this book, but it left me with some questions. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves history, especially Native American history.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2019
Like a lot of the later installments of The Royal Diaries, I’m not familiar with the women featured, and this was especially true for Weetamoo. The epilogue and historical note gave me enough information to get me interested in doing my own research, which is always a good thing, but these sections of this series are always interesting and a highlight for me. The fictional diary entries are usually what makes or breaks one of these books for me.
Patricia Clark Smith makes a note that says Weetamoo most likely never learned to write, and so opted to have her relay her thoughts and feelings through periods of thinking to herself, accompanied occasionally with drawings on birch bark or on the ground. I thought this was a very creative way to stick with the diary format while also staying true to the traditions of the Pocasset people. Weetamoo’s struggle to be patient and obey her parents was relatable and I found myself sympathizing with her quite a bit. Not a lot happens in this story, but I was okay with it being a slice of life tale. Seeing Weetamoo in her early teens and transitioning from a child to an adult was done very well and I enjoyed reading her thoughts.
Smith was definitely thorough in her research and didn’t sugarcoat the truly awful things that went on between the Europeans and the American Indians. She didn’t get too detailed, which I think is probably best for a book for younger readers, but she still emphasized how bloody and harmful King Phillip’s War was. A pet peeve of mine is when authors decide to skip large periods of time to get to certain historical events, and I was so appreciative that Smith didn’t do that with Weetamoo. She hinted at things to come through Weetamoo’s dreams, but I was fine with that, especially since it was incorporated into Pocasset cultural beliefs of dreams being visions of the future.
Weetamoo didn’t meet a happy end (spoilers), and not much is known about her early life, but I think Smith managed to write a very thoughtful, informative book depicting what she may have been like as a young girl. This is definitely one of the better installments in this series, and while Smith never returns to pen another book for Dear America, I’m hoping to find more that contain enthusiasm and respect for history like this one showcases.
Patricia Clark Smith makes a note that says Weetamoo most likely never learned to write, and so opted to have her relay her thoughts and feelings through periods of thinking to herself, accompanied occasionally with drawings on birch bark or on the ground. I thought this was a very creative way to stick with the diary format while also staying true to the traditions of the Pocasset people. Weetamoo’s struggle to be patient and obey her parents was relatable and I found myself sympathizing with her quite a bit. Not a lot happens in this story, but I was okay with it being a slice of life tale. Seeing Weetamoo in her early teens and transitioning from a child to an adult was done very well and I enjoyed reading her thoughts.
Smith was definitely thorough in her research and didn’t sugarcoat the truly awful things that went on between the Europeans and the American Indians. She didn’t get too detailed, which I think is probably best for a book for younger readers, but she still emphasized how bloody and harmful King Phillip’s War was. A pet peeve of mine is when authors decide to skip large periods of time to get to certain historical events, and I was so appreciative that Smith didn’t do that with Weetamoo. She hinted at things to come through Weetamoo’s dreams, but I was fine with that, especially since it was incorporated into Pocasset cultural beliefs of dreams being visions of the future.
Weetamoo didn’t meet a happy end (spoilers), and not much is known about her early life, but I think Smith managed to write a very thoughtful, informative book depicting what she may have been like as a young girl. This is definitely one of the better installments in this series, and while Smith never returns to pen another book for Dear America, I’m hoping to find more that contain enthusiasm and respect for history like this one showcases.
May 3, 2019
I do like how the author started the book by saying that unlike the other girls profiled in the Royal Diaries, Weetamoo never would have written a diary. A lot of it is written in a way that makes it seem that Weetamoo is just thinking, and I wish that the entirety of the novel was written that way.
The story follows Weetamoo, the eldest daughter of the Saschem (leader) of the Poccasats. She has been told that patience is a virtue that she needs to work on and as such she spends a great deal of time thinking about what is going on and asking the spirits for patience. She has to navigate in her father's shadow in regards to the dealings with the people at Plymouth, all the while she is trying to understand what it means to grow up, and what she plans to do once she is old enough to marry. There are some struggles that she has to go through, her temper and her impatience get the better of her, and she has to help her mother and family grieve when their younger sister dies of an apparent heart defect. In the end, she learns a great deal and know what it is going to take for her to be a great leader.
As always, the back of the book is filled with actual historical information and I was intrigued to know that while Weetamoo's father's generation was able to deal fairly with the Europeans, that tenuous relationship broke down by the time that she came of age.
The story follows Weetamoo, the eldest daughter of the Saschem (leader) of the Poccasats. She has been told that patience is a virtue that she needs to work on and as such she spends a great deal of time thinking about what is going on and asking the spirits for patience. She has to navigate in her father's shadow in regards to the dealings with the people at Plymouth, all the while she is trying to understand what it means to grow up, and what she plans to do once she is old enough to marry. There are some struggles that she has to go through, her temper and her impatience get the better of her, and she has to help her mother and family grieve when their younger sister dies of an apparent heart defect. In the end, she learns a great deal and know what it is going to take for her to be a great leader.
As always, the back of the book is filled with actual historical information and I was intrigued to know that while Weetamoo's father's generation was able to deal fairly with the Europeans, that tenuous relationship broke down by the time that she came of age.
January 31, 2018
Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets is a book in the Young Adult historical fiction series called the Royal Diaries. This book is written by Patricia Clark Smith.
Weetamoo plays a small part in Colonial New England history. She was generally called the Squaw Sachem, although she was not the only Indian Woman to hold this leadership role. Weetamo did not read or write English and so did not leave a diary or letters that might help us understand her. Perhaps the most extensive record we have of her appearance and personality is contained in Marry Rowlandson's Captive Narrative of the time she spent with Weetamoo and her last husband, Quinnapin. Rowlandson did not seem to realize that Weetamoo was Sachem of the Pocasetts in her own right.
Smith draws o her own Algonquian heritage and her study of the Womanoag People to prove a very plausible account of the young girl who lived during the last years of the traditional way of life, before their land and culture were subsumed by colonists from across the Atlantic.
Weetamoo plays a small part in Colonial New England history. She was generally called the Squaw Sachem, although she was not the only Indian Woman to hold this leadership role. Weetamo did not read or write English and so did not leave a diary or letters that might help us understand her. Perhaps the most extensive record we have of her appearance and personality is contained in Marry Rowlandson's Captive Narrative of the time she spent with Weetamoo and her last husband, Quinnapin. Rowlandson did not seem to realize that Weetamoo was Sachem of the Pocasetts in her own right.
Smith draws o her own Algonquian heritage and her study of the Womanoag People to prove a very plausible account of the young girl who lived during the last years of the traditional way of life, before their land and culture were subsumed by colonists from across the Atlantic.
January 9, 2022
So something that I love about the Royal Diaries series is that they are about real people. I don’t remember if this is one of the books that I read when I was younger. The book came out when I was six, so I could have picked it up in school or public library at one point or another. This is a person who I had no prior knowledge of. Women were such an important part of the Indiginous culture, but often get erased from history, since history was often told by the white male. While this is a fictional depiction of a strong female leader during her youth, I enjoyed the strength that she had as a young teen. I loved the culture of the Indiginous people. I really need to try and read more book to learn more about the culture. Not a solid story and the writing could get a little annoying, but I believe I was annoying in my writing when I was that age too. I like how the author used some of her own journals to help her write from the mind of a young teenager. I wince when I read some of my old journal entries.
MVP: Cedar
MVP: Cedar
January 27, 2021
Weetamoo was a sachem of the Wampanoag Pocassets. She was the sister-in-law of Metacom (aka Philip). She and Metacom were among the leaders in the revolt known as King Philip’s War (an event that was not well-covered in any of my history classes).
One of the things I most admired about this book is the attention paid to the culture of the subject. Patricia Clark Smith, the author, is of Algonquin descent, and provides a well-researched and contextualized description of what young Weetamoo’s life may have been like. She also clearly explains that while Weetamoo would not have written in a journal, she would have gathered her thoughts in reflective practices common to her people. Lastly, I was touched by how Clark Smith explains that Weetamoo was a hero of hers growing up as the Indigenous women often mentioned in Euro-centric history books are women who were useful to colonizers, not those who opposed them.
One of the things I most admired about this book is the attention paid to the culture of the subject. Patricia Clark Smith, the author, is of Algonquin descent, and provides a well-researched and contextualized description of what young Weetamoo’s life may have been like. She also clearly explains that while Weetamoo would not have written in a journal, she would have gathered her thoughts in reflective practices common to her people. Lastly, I was touched by how Clark Smith explains that Weetamoo was a hero of hers growing up as the Indigenous women often mentioned in Euro-centric history books are women who were useful to colonizers, not those who opposed them.
May 20, 2023
I really enjoyed this. I know that not a lot is known about Weetamoo's childhood, but I think the author did a great job of imagining it. I liked how words from the Wampanoag language were used here. The dates are giving according to the Wampanoag words for months, which I thought was such a cool and nice detail to include. The story takes place when the Algonquin-speaking peoples and the English settlers have relatively peaceful relations. It was interesting to see how thoroughly they impacted each other's cultures. They would learn each other's languages, trade with each other and learn about each other's beliefs. Keep in mind that this story takes place 20 years before King Phillip's War, when the English are very cruel to the Native people. When Weetamoo's forces are defeated, her head is cut off by the colonists and displayed on a pole.
September 16, 2021
This was really well written, and done in a sensitive manner, while also being really accurate to the time period. There is a long historical note in the back, and Weetamoo was a real person as well as many of the characters written about with her. It is her internal life and thoughts as a young girl that is the fiction of this story. But the reason I am giving it three stars is because if I was the target age of this book (late elementary to middle school), I would have been bored to tears. It is a very slow book, and while it appeals to me because of the content and the fact that I want to learn more about this history, for a younger reader I think it lacks in action that moves the plot along.
September 20, 2018
Even Middle school me knew it was problematic.
It really liked it when I read it but i'm sure if I reread it now it'd have alot of issues with it.
I remember thinking it was cool to see a different princess aka non European one but I didn't know how to express that.
I have to reread this series and give my adult post graduate degree perspective but what I remember liking was:
-the characters in this series were roughly my age when I read the books (YA)
-it gave you an idea of what life may have been like back then
-they did have an afterword with historic information that gave you more context on their real lives and often photos or paintings
It really liked it when I read it but i'm sure if I reread it now it'd have alot of issues with it.
I remember thinking it was cool to see a different princess aka non European one but I didn't know how to express that.
I have to reread this series and give my adult post graduate degree perspective but what I remember liking was:
-the characters in this series were roughly my age when I read the books (YA)
-it gave you an idea of what life may have been like back then
-they did have an afterword with historic information that gave you more context on their real lives and often photos or paintings
November 26, 2021
I read these two books, A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Patience Whipple and Weetamo: Heart of the Pocassets earlier this month for the Pageturners Bookclub at the Kewaunee Public Library. It was interesting to read from both the native and pilgrim point of view. I loved reading biographies as a kid and I'm glad to see there are so many more these days.
While Patience grew up to be a baker, the afterward of Weetamo's story was quite tragic. These two books were from different series, but they went together well like they were from the same series.
While Patience grew up to be a baker, the afterward of Weetamo's story was quite tragic. These two books were from different series, but they went together well like they were from the same series.
January 18, 2020
Ok book, got kind of slow. It lacked excitement in my opinion. Another problem is that 75% of the story is about the Pocasset’s religion. While I understand that with Native American culture, religion is a big part of culture, but I feel like we missed learning a lot about the Pocasset’s daily life in detail. Overall a ok book that could have been better.
June 14, 2021
Interesting take of suspicion vs hostility. Some good themes and interesting portrayals of different customs from a tribe we don't often read about. Would have liked to see more, but a fun read overall.
Read
August 4, 2024I really appreciate this series for tackling difficult and tragic historical figures, and acknowledging "yeah, stuff really went to hell for them in their last years" versus only including "royals" who could be considered romantic or happy, or even not including the epilogues in the first place.
August 16, 2018
While Weetamoo is a great artist, she isn’t my favorite historical princess.
August 22, 2019
By far one of my favorite in this historical series.
August 2, 2020
This just didn’t hold my attention like other books in this series.
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