Contributions of The New England Indians
Contributions of The New England Indians
Contributions of The New England Indians
Contributions of the
Wampanoag
and New England Indians
To America
A reprint of a brochure prepared by the Council as part of The Wampanoag Indian Exhibit, held at The Newport Public
Library in RI in celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Nov., 1997.
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Our culture is deeply indebted to the native peoples of our country. In New England and elsewhere on Turtle
Island (all of the United States of America) the American Indian has contributed many things and concepts that most of
us are not even aware of. There is hardly anything that one can do, hardly anywhere that one can go which does not
involve the influence of the native peoples who have lived here for thousands of years. The contributions, influences and
legacies of the Indians can be seen in all aspects of our lives, and all over the continent of Americafrom government,
child rearing, warfare, clothing, to the foods we eat.
We will share with you a small sampling of the contributions of the Indians in New England and elsewhere.
GOVERNMENT: The first concepts of a true participatory democracy, reflected in our Constitution and Bill of Rights,
come from the influence of Indian democratic government, attested by the United States Congress.
MILITARY: Guerrilla warfare tactics were learned first from New England Indians in the 1600s. The Quonset hut is
based on the Indian Longhouse. We name our weapon systems after Indians: Apache Helicopter, Tomahawk Missile,
etc. Paratroopers yell Geronimo when they jump out of planes. In W.W. II we used the Navaho and other languages
to encode messages.
CONSERVATION: were turning more and more to Indian concepts of land conservation and the precept of Indians
respect for the land (Take only what you need and no more) to help us combat problems of pollution, the
disappearance of the wilderness, overcrowding.
CHILD REARING: the international Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts movements were based on Indian lifestyle. The
Indian practice of group-oriented decision making influences our rearing of children.
INDIAN DEVICES: To mention a fewwigwams, canoes & kayaks, snowshoes & dogsleds, toboggans, hammocks,
ponchos & parkas, smoking pipes, rubber syringes, moccasins, tomahawks, and so on. People wear Indian jewelry and
have Indian designs on their clothing, bed and beach blankets. Teenagers are great emulators of Indian warriors with
their Mohawk haircuts and leather, fringed clothing.
FOOD AND RELATED: corn, popcorn, beans, potatoes, squash, succotash, Indian tobacco, Johnny Cake, hominy,
clambakes, quahogs, maple syrup & sugar, are a few delicacies we still enjoy today. Fish fertilizer is still used in
farming in the manner taught by the Wampanoag Indians. And the scarecrow is still scaring away unwanted birds from
our farmers crops just as the early settlers learned from the Wampanoag Indians.
MEDICINE AND RELATED: herbal remedies and teas, pain relievers, laxatives, muscle relaxants, and other
medicines, not to mention ingredients in mouthwash and chewing gum, come from our Indian ancestors throughout
Turtle Island.
ANIMAL NAMES:
Algonquian names.
skunk, moose, chipmunk, raccoon, woodchuck, opossum, muskrat are all New England
PLACE NAMES AND RELATED : thousands of names for states, cities, towns, streets, schools, businesses, parks,
rivers, lakes, mountains in our country bear Indian names. We name our automobiles, sports teams, beers and other
things after Indians throughout Turtle Island.
MISCELLANEOUS: we can mention
that many of our major highways and byways in New England are old Indian trails
that many of our New England farms are old Indian villages & corn fields.
American Indians volunteer for military service at a higher rate than any other segment of the population
the first Thanksgiving in America took place in Plymouth, Massachusettsin 1621. Your history books do not tell
you this, but it was the Wampanoag Indians who suggested to Governor Bradford in 1621 that it is better to thank
your God for what you do have rather than lamenting what you do not have and that is distinctly the Indian
spiritual way.
the rubber ball, and games of lacrosse and baseball are Indian-based
Rock-a-Bye-Baby is still sung across America, just the way it was learned from Wampanoag Indians many years
ago in Colonial times
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In everyday speech we use words and phrases that come from the ancient Indians, such as papoose, wampum,
powwow, Big Chief, sachem, sagamore, brave, squaw, thunderbird, bury the hatchet, smoke the peace pipe, run the
gauntlet, you speak with forked tongue, fire water, fly (talk) straight as an arrow, Indian file, scalp, war paint & war
path, smoke signal, Indian Summer, Indian pony, Indian paintbrush, Indian time, Indian giver, War Bonnet, happy
hunting ground, a feather in your cap, and others you can mention
many people are embracing the Indian philosophy of love of nature and family, balance & harmony in life, rather
than a love of material objects.
We do not have the space to mention the influences of Indians to the areas of art, literature, television and cinema,
dance, and so many more areas
INDIAN CHARACTER (Historical Quotes Of 1600s):
... they are not of a dumpish, sad nature, but rather naturally cheerful.
... seldom are their words and their deeds strangers ....
Whomever commeth in when they are eating, they offer them to eat of that which they are eating ....
Such is their love for one another that they cannot endure to see their countrymen
in their defense, plead strongly in their behalf ....
There are no beggars amongst them, nor fatherlesse children unprovided for.
Their affections, especially to their children, are very strong; so that I have knowne a Father take so grievously the
losse of his childe, that he hath cut and stobd himselfe with griefe and rage.
Such is their mild temper of their spirits that they cannot endure objurgations or scolding.
The younger sort reverence the elder ....
Commonly they never shut their doores, day nor night; and tis rare that any hurt is done.
They are full of businesse, and as impatient of hinderance (in their kind) as any Merchant in Europe.
Many of them naturally Princes, or else industrious persons, are rich; and the poore amongst them will say, they want
nothing.
Their warres are far less bloudy and devouring then the cruell Warres of Europe; and seldome slaine in a pitcht field ....
[In] many ways hath their advice and endeavor been advantageous unto us [ the English] , they being our instructors for
the planting of their Indian corn, by teaching us to cull out the finest seed, to observe the fittest season, to keep distance
for holes and fit measure for hills, to worm and weed it, to prune it, and dress it as occasion shall require.
Thus, the debt we owe to the native people of New England and all over this land is enormous. The Wampanoag Indians
of Rhode Island and Massachusetts greeted you, and taught and nurtured you when you came to these rocky shores over
377 yearscold, hungry and tired. Without us, you would have surely perished....
The Indian still has something to give to this great land of ours!
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APPENDIX II
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A Note on Translations
The place names in this appendix are based on several, but related, Algonquian languages of southern
New England. The method of translating the old Indian names into English involves several steps. We
proceed from the linguistic level (what do the roots mean?)
Lets illustrate with the name for the Massachusetts town Mattapoisett, meaning (in the authors
interpretation) little resting place. The first step involves dividing up the given word into elements that
might correspond to the basic meanings of the word (prefixes, roots, suffixes). We decide on two elements
for now: mattapo-isett. Now, using knowledge of the Wampanoag language called Massachusett, we
recognize that the word-part mattapo probably comes from mattappu = he sits down (or) he rests
(Moondancer Strong Woman, 1996). Next we see that the element isett is probably two elements (is-ett)
that come from -es = little and -et = place of, at, near. Thus, putting it all together, we assemble the
primary root elements, mattappu-es-et . In the final step (pronunciation), we contract the elements to obtain
something like, mattappuset = he rests + little + place of or just little resting place. This is probably
how Wampanoag Indians called this place, which in the mouths of the English, was corrupted to Mattapoisett
(see Appendix VI for Pronunciation Guide). The following chart summarizes what we just said.
PLACE NAME ANALYSIS
MATTAPOISETT
Mattapo
is
ett
Mattappu =
he sits/rests
-es = little
-et = place
Mattappu-es-et =
Mattapuset
Little resting place
Thus the modern place name Mattapoisett is fairly close to the original Algonquian roots and not
much seems to be lost in the translation. This is not always the case.
The next page gives another chart-analysis for the place in Massachusetts called Swampscott,
meaning at the red rock, or red rock place.
The analysis for Swampscott demonstrates that many, many old Indian place names were corrupted
(sometimes beyond recognition) by the Europeans. To illustrate this problem, one well-known Algonquian
translator has said of the place names in Rhode Island, that one-half of them defy analysis altogether! This
fact shows why in the tables below you will sometimes see more than one meaning for a name. Different
assumptions about the correct Algonquian roots led to different conclusions.
As mentioned, the last step in translation involves contracting or abbreviating the primary root
elements. Now, Algonquian languages are described as being polysynthetic, meaning that many simple
elements or roots are combined into a single word involving final contraction or abbreviation of the primary
roots. For example, to say a white man we pick our primary elements from the Massachsuett language:
wompesu = (he is) white (animate objects) + wosketomp = a man (young warrior?). The final word is
womposketomp = a white man. Can you see what was contracted in the primary terms? The ability to
form the right word through polysynthetic analysis requires knowledge of the correct syntax rule (hundreds
exist). These rules (and Indian languages in general) continue to defy the best minds in linguistics!
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Swampscott
sw
ampsc
ott
muski = red
-ompsk- =
standing rock
-ut = place of
muski-ompsc-ut =
muskompscut =
At the red rock
The following list of roots can be used in deciphering some of the Indian place names in the
rest of this Appendix. The first column gives roots in the original Indian language, the second shows
alternative corrupted spellings seen in the actual names, and lastly, the meaning of the Algonquian.
Translations begin by searching for the corrupted fragments. Examples shown at end of the lists.
I.
Algonquian
-adene
-komuk
munnoh, munnohan
munnoh-es
naag
ohke, auke
-ompsk
-tuck
-unk
wadchu, wauchu
-adchu
LAND NAMES
Meaning
hill, mountain
enclosed/limited place
island
little island
a point of land
land, ground, place
a standing or upright rock
wood, tree
a standing tree
hill, mountain
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II.
Algonquian
-amaug
-paug
-pauges, -paugeset
-pe (for nippe)
-pe-auke
pauntuck
pauntuk-ese
WATER NAMES
sauk
sepu, seip
sepu-es
-tuck-es
-tuk
Meaning
fishing-place
pond, lake
little pond, lake
fresh water for drinking
water-land, water-place
water falls in a tidal river
small water falls in a tidal
river
outlet of a river or brook,
stream flowing out of a
pond or lake
a long river
a short river
a small tidal or broad
river, estuary
a tidal or broad river,
estuary
nuppis, nips
ogguhse-, ogkosseogkome
ongkoue
pohque
nashaui
pohquun
pohquettah-un
Meaning
separated, apart
chief, principal, greatest
bad, evil, unpleasant,
unfavorable
great, big
midway, between
little water, a small pond,
lake
small, little
on the other side of, over
against
beyond
clear, open (as land)
cleared, opened (as land)
broken-up, cultivated
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sonki
weque-, wequawongun
wunni-, winni-
Meaning
-ash
-et, -ut, -it
-es, -is
-og
-set, -eset
-ass, etc.
-at, -chet, -itt, etc.
-ese, -as, -us, etc.
-aog, -ug, -ag, -ig, etc.
-sett, -sets, -eset,-setts,-esets, etc.
EXAMPLES
1
2
3
4
5
Massachusetts
= massa + wadchu + ash + et (place of big hills)
Narragansett
= naiag + es + et (place of narrow small point)
Massaco
= massa + sauk (great outlet)
Norwalk
= nay + aug (a point of land)
Warwick
NOT INDIAN NAME even though war, ick may appear to be roots.
People make this mistake often. That shows just how mangled the words are
the records.
in
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The source for most of the translations is Huden (1962). Some names have been translated or re-translated by the
authors. Gookin (1674) provided some in Massachusetts, including Cape Cod and the Islands. A number of other tribal
names (not translated) may be found in the book by Bragdon, 1996, pp. 20-25.
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Nipmuck, Nipnet
Nonotuck
Nowass, Nawass
Norwottuck
Pamet, Pawmet, Paumet
Paquoag
Pascataway
Paugusset
Pawtucket
Pawtuxet, Pautuxet, Patuxet
Pennacook
Pequot
Peskeompscut
Pocasset
Pocumtuck
Podunk
Pokanoket, Pawkunnawkutt
Pomperaug
Poquonock
Potatuck, Powtatuck
Punkapog
Quabaug
Quinebaug
Quinnatukut (Connecticut)
Quinnipiac, Quillipeak, Quillipeag, Quillipiac,
Quinopiock, Quinnypiock
Quiripi
Sagkonet, Saconet, Sakonett
Schaghticoke, Scatacook, Scaticook, Skaticook,
Seekonk, Seaconke
Senecksig, Senexit
Shawmut (Boston and surroundings &
Wampanoag village)
Shinnecock
Sicaog (Hartford, CT)
Sickanames
Siwanog
Siwanoy
Sokonnesset, Sockanosset
Sowams
Sowheage, Sequin
Squakheag
Swampscott
Tunxis
Unquachog
Wabaquasset
Wamesit
Wampanoag
Wangunk
Wappinger
Waramaug, Werewaug
Wauchimoqut
Weantinaug, Weantinoque, Weantinock,
Weantinoque, Wiantenuck, Wyantenug
Weekapaug
Wepaweaug
Weshakim
Wessagusset
Woronoco
Wuttapa, Watuppa
at the cove
at the shell rock; Annawons Rock
commander or conqueror (name of Wampanoag missinnige or War Chief
in King Phillips war)
a cave
at the rock place
halfway place
boundary fishing place
his wetu (house) is on fire
an arrow point; at the high point
pine place
at the refuge place
planting fields place
small stones place
small stones place
evil spirit
a cave; cavern; rock shelter
place of the gift
place of departure or marveling
near the great hills
black mud place
deep place
deep black mire ?
he walks the night (Moon Sachem)
between two river branches
between waters
between streams
my home, my land (place where Massachusett
Some names are repeated from other sections (e.g., Assonet) so that the reader will know the meaning of the name in
different contexts and have flexibility in locating a name under different headings. Also some names listed by State
cross multiple States. Famous Wampanoag names like Mashpee are listed under Nations, Tribes, Villages.
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Nauset, Nawset
Nonantum
Nukkehkummees
Okommakamesit
Ompaan, Umpame, Ampame
Pakachoog
Punkapog
Quabaug
Quittacus
Saugus
Seekonk, Seaconke
Shawmut (Boston and surroundings &
Wampanoag village)
Somerset, Samerset
Squannacook
Squantum
Swampscott
Titicut (Tauton)
Tittituck (Blackstone River)
Wachuset
Waeuntug
Wamesit
Wannamoisett
Watchimoquet, Watchimoquit,
Watchemoket
Watuppa
Wawayontat,Weweanteit (Wareham)
Weetomoe
Weshakim
Weweantic
Woronke
Wunnashowatukqut (Blackstone R.)
Some information taken from Gookin (1674). See also under Nations, Tribes, Villages.
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Coatuit, Cotuit
Codtanmut
Comassakumkanit
Cotuhtikut, Titicut (part of Middleborough)
Hyannis
Kitteaumut, Katamet (Sandwich or Buzzards Bay)
Manamoyik (Chatham)
Mannamit (sandwich, bottom of Buzzards Bay)
Mashpee
Matakees (Barnstable & Yarmouth harbors)
Mattapoisett
Meeshawn
Monomoy Island
Nantucket
--half-way to southwest
--other side of Sowams (south country)
--at the pine tree place
--at the long planting fields
-- deserted place
-- trading place
-- where they sing
at the rock which stands erect
at the great tidal river
he [Sachem Iannough] wages war
principal fishing place
carry or burden place
where they carry burdens on their backs
land near the great cove; large pond
big meadow; little trees
little resting place
-- a landing place
-- ferry (he goes by boat, place of)
-- great land neck
-- lookout place; deep water
-- place in the middle of the water
-- at far off sea-place
-- where it is, the sea gets broader
-- far off among the waves
-- point of land in the middle
-- narrow river
at the place between (Cape Cod Bay and Atlantic
Ocean); on the point
at the rock ledge cliff
-- snipe (or partridge) country
-- at the little place
at the miry pond
--at the frost fish or tomcod fishing place
--place of obstructed outlet
--lookout place
foaming island place
-- out of the way beach
-- distant enclosure
at the small cove
dark earth
-- cold brook
-- salt (or cold) stream
at the outlet of the tidal creek
at the mouth of the tidal river
at the spring of good water
dark earth
house place
at the end (of the bay)
place at the end
shining rocks
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NAME4 TRANSLATION
Aquinnah (Gay Head)
Chappaquiddick
Manisses, Manissean (Block Island)
Nantucket
Nashuakemmiuk
Nope (Martins or Marthas Vineyard)
Nunnepoag
Oggawame, Agawam
Ohkatomka
Pacamkik
Peschameeset
Seconchqut
Sengekontakit
Squatesit
Talhanio
Toikiming (Christiantown)
Wammasquid
peace camp
at the separated island
--little island
--little god (place of?)
-- place in the middle of the water
-- at far off sea-place
-- where it is, the sea gets broader
-- far off among the waves
-- point of land in the middle
-- narrow river
middle of dark land
menhaden fish place
fresh or narrow pond
-- low land
-- overflowed by water
-- an unloading place
top of the rock
--abode of codfish (Haddock?)
--dark land (well fertilized)
--open land
--where we catch & split small fish
--blue place ?
at the summer place
at cold, long creek
red place or brook
low meadow
at the mill or rushing spring
at the plain
Other Names
State of Rhode Island
NAME5
TRANSLATION
Hakewamepinke
Kickemuit
Mashanticut
Massasoit
Matunuck
Maushapogue, Mashapaug, Maushapogue (Cranston)
Miantonomi, Tonomy
Misquamicut
Montup, Montaup, Montop
Moosehousic, Mooshassuck, Mowshawsuck,
Moshasick, Moshassuck
Mosskituash
Mouscochuck
Nahiganset, Nahigonset
5
Nannihiggonsick
Nantusiunk (Goat Island)
Narragansett
Nashaway
Nayatt
Neutaconanut, Natakonaket, Neotacacanonitt, Neutaqunkanet
(Moondancers favorite place to play and explore as a child)
Niantic
Ninegrit
Niswosaket (old name for Woonsocket)
Nonequit
Occupessuatuxet, Occupasstuxet
Ohomowauke
Pachaug
Pascoag
Pawcomet (Beach Pond)
Pawtucket, Pattukket
Pesquamscot
Pocasset
Pokanoket
Pometacomet
Pomham, Pumham
Ponaganset
Pontiac (Ottawa language)
Popanomscutt
Poppasquash
Quawawehunk (place of Great Swamp Fight)
Quonset
Sachuest
Saconet, Sakonnet, Sagkonet
Scamscammuck
Scituate
Shankhassick
Shannock
Shickasheen
Showamet (Warwick)
Sowamsett
Sowans
Touiset
Usquepaug
Titticut
Wallomonopaug
Wallum
Wanasquatucket
Wannemetonomy, Tonomy
Other Names
State of Connecticut
NAME6 TRANSLATION
Connecticut
Housatonic
Maanexit
Mashantucket
Mohegan
Mystic
Naugatuck
Paucatuck, Pawcatuck
Pequot
Quantisset
Quinebaug
Schaghticoke, Scaticook
Shantok
Sicaog (Hartford)
Wabquissit
APPENDIX III
Selected Quotes from Writings of Early American Colonists
and Modern Indian Elders on Native American Women of
Wampanoag, Narragansett & Massachusett Peoples
Their male children goe starke naked, and have no Apron untill they come to ten or twelve yeeres of age; their
Female they, in a modest blush cover with a little Apron of an hand breadth from their very birth (Roger
Williams, 1643)
The law which they observed in old times was thisto do to another only that which they wished to be done
to them. ... All lived in good friendship & understanding. They refused no thing to one another. If one
wigwam or family had not provisions enough, the neighbors supplied them, although they had only that which
was necessary for themselves. And in all things it was the same. They lived pure lives; their wives were
faithful to their husbands, and the girls were chaste, (Nicholas Denys, 1672)
The older and married people, both men and women, wear many ornaments in their ears, hanging down in the
oriental manner. (The Voyages of Giovanni da Verrazzano, 1524-1528)
[.]... women and maids live apart in, foure, five, or six dayes, in the time of their monethly sicknesse, which
custome in all parts of the Countrey they strictly observe, and no Male may come into that house. (Roger
Williams, 1643)
... Indian women ... are quickly and easily delivered and many times are so strong, not within a few hours
after the childs birth, they will go about their ordinary occasions [back on their feet again] (Daniel Gookin,
1674)
They take many wives; yet one of them is the principal or chief in their esteem and affection. They also put
away [divorce] their wives; and the wives also leave their husbands frequently, upon grounds of displeasure
or dissatisfaction. (Gookin, 1674)
Their infants are borne with hair on their heads and are of a complexion white as our nation [English], but
their mothers in their infancy make a bath of Wallnut leaves, huskes of Walnuts [sic] and such things as will
staine their skin for ever, wherein they dip and washe them to make them tawny (Thomas Morton, 1632)
Page 107
Their women constantly beat all their corne with hand: they plant it, dresse it, gather it, barne it, beat it, and
take as much paines as any people in the world, which labour is questionlesse one cause of their extraordinary
ease of childbirth. (Roger Williams, 1643)
It is almost incredible what burthens the poore women carry of Corne, of Fish, of Beanes, of Mats, and a
childe besides. (Roger Williams, 1643)
They likewise sew their husbands shoes and weave coats of feathers .... (Wm. Wood, 1634)
The tooth-ake
which is the only paine will force their stout hearts to cry; I cannot heare of any disease of the stone amongst
them (the corne of the Countrey, with which they are fed from the wombe, being an admirable cleanser and
opener:) but the paine of their womens childbirth .... never forces their women to cry, as I have heard some of
their men in this paine.
In this paine they use a certaine root dried, not much unlike our Ginger. (Roger Williams, 1643)
When the Indian man hunted ages ago, they hunted for the whole village, leaving small children, women and
the old ones at home. (Oral tradition)
It may bee wondred why since New-England is about 12. degrees neerer to the Sun, yet some part of Winter it
is there ordinarily more cold than here in England: the reason is plaine: All Ilands are warmer than maine
Lands and Continents. England being an Iland, Englands winds are Sea winds, which are commonly more
thick and vapoury, and warmer winds: The Nor West wind (occasioneth New-England cold) comes over the
cold frozen Land, and over many millions of Loads of Snow: and yet the pure wholsomnesse of the Aire is
wonderfull, and the warmth of the Sunne, such in the sharpest weather, that I have often seen the Natives
Children runne about starke naked in the coldest dayes, and the Indians, Men and Women, lye by a Fire, in
the Woods in the coldest nights, and I have been often out my selfe such nights without fire, mercifully, and
wonderfully preserved. (Roger Williams, 1643)
The Women set or plant, weede, and hill, and gather and barne all the corne, and Fruites of the field: Yet
sometimes the man himselfe, (either out of love to his wife, or care for his Children, or being an old man) will
help the Woman which (by the custome of the Countrey) they are not bound to,
When a field is to be broken up, they have a very loving sociable speedy way to dispatch it: All the
neighbors men and Women forty, fifty, a hundred &c, joyne, and come in to help freely.
With friendly joyning they breake up their fields, build their Forts, hunt the Woods, stop and kill fish
in the Rivers .... (Roger Williams, 1643)
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As their apparel they wear breeches [leggings] and stockings in one, like some Irish; which is made of deer
skins and have shoes [mocassins] of the same leather. They also wear a deer skin loose about them like a
cloak which they will turn to the weather [wind] side ... The men wear also, when they go abroad in cold
weather , an otter or fox skin on their right arm; but only their bracer [wrist-guard] on the left.
Women and all of that sex wear stings [of beads] about their legs which the men never do. (Edward
Winslow, 1624)
All their names are significant and variable for when they come to the state of men and women they alter them
according to their deeds and dispositions. (Winslow, 1624)
Besides there is a general custome amongst them, at the apprehension of any Excellency in Men, Women,
Birds, Beast, Fish, &c. to cry out Manitto, that is, it is a God, as thus if they see one man excell others in
Wisdome, valour, strength, Activity &c. they cry out Manitto A God: and therefore when they talk amongst
themselves of the English ships, and great buildings, of the plowing of their Fields, and especially of Bookes
and Letters, they will end thus: Manittwock They are Gods: Cummanittio, you are a God, &c. A strong
conviction naturall in the soule of man, that God is; filling all things, and places, and that all Excellencies
dwell in God, and proceed from him .... (Roger Williams, 1643)
They believe that the soules of Men and Women goe to the Sou-west, their great and good men and Women
to Cautntouwit his House, where they have hopes ... of carnall Joyes: Murthers thieves and Lyers, their
Soules (say they) wander restlesse abroad. (Roger Williams, 1643)
It hath pleased God in wonderfull manner to moderate that curse of sorrowes of Child-bearing to these poore
Indian Women: So that ordinarily they have a wonderfull more speedy and easie Travell [pregnancy], and
deliverly then the Women of Europe: not that I thinke God is more gracious to them above other Women,
but that it followes, First from the hardnesse of their constitution, in which respect they beare their sorrowes
easier.
Secondly from their extraordinary great labour (even above the labour of men) as in the Field, they
sustaine the labour of it, in carrying mighty Burthens, in digging clammes and getting other Shelfish from the
Sea, in beating all their Corne in Morters &c. Most of them count it a shame for a women in Travell to make
complaint, and many of them scarcely heard to groane. I have often known in one Quarter of an houre a
Page 109
Woman merry in the House, and delevered and merry again: and within two dayes abroad, and foure or five
dayes at worke &c. (Roger Williams, 1643)
There are among them certain men and women, whom they call powows ... partly are physicians, and make
use ... of herbs and roots, for curing the sick and diseased. (Daniel Gookin, 1674)
When a man hath a desire to marry, he first gets the good will of the maid or widow; after the consent of her
friends for the part. As for himself, if he at his own disposing, if the king will, the match is made, the dowry
of wampompeag paid, the king joins the hands with their hearts, never to part till death .... (Wm Wood, 1634)
They put away [divorce] frequently for other ocassions besides Adultery, yet I know many Couples that have
lived twenty, thirty, fourty years together. (Roger Williams, 1643)
The Love Signal was also chanted by young braves at this large festival [Harvest Festival, Moon of the
Harvest] when so many young men and women met. When a young Indian girl became mature, her father
gave a Festival of Pure Maidens every moon until she was chosen to be the mate of some young brave. At the
ceremony a large white stone placed in the middle of the Council Fire was sprinkled with blood. The young
girl was given an arrow which she placed over her heart with one hand and put the other hand on the stone
while she took a vow of purity. Only the pure could participate in this Festival, so all the maidens were
anxious to be virtuous so they qualify as the mate for some young brave. At the harvest festival many a pure
Indian maiden received the song of love from the lips of an Indian youth. (Princess Red Wing)
When the Lord first brought me to these poor Indians on the Vinyard they were mighty zealous and earnest in
the Worship of false gods and Devils; their false gods were many, both of things in Heaven, Earth and Sea:
And there they had their Men-gods, Women-gods, and Children-gods, their Companies, and Fellowships of
gods, or Divine Powers, guiding things amongst men, innumerable more feigned gods belonging to many
Creatures, to their Corn and every Colour of it: The Devil also with his Angels had his Kingdom among them,
in them; account him they did the terror of Living, the god of the Dead, under whose cruel power and into
whose deformed likeness they conceived themselves to be translated when they died; for the same word they
have for Devil, they use for a Dead Man, in their Language. (John Eliot & Thomas Mayhew, 1653)
Amongst themselves they trade their Corne, skins, Coates, Venison, Fish, &c. and sometimes come
ten or twenty in a Company to trade amongst the English.
They have some who follow onely making of Bowes, some Arrowes, some Dishes, and (the Women
make all their earthen Vessells) some follow fishing, some hunting: most on the Sea-side make [wampum],
and store up shells in Summer against Winter whereof to make their [wampum]. (Roger Williams, 1643)
Keesaqnnamun, Another kind of solemne publike meeting, wherein they lie under the trees, in a kinde of
Religious observation, and have a mixture of Devotions and sports: But their chiefest Idoll of all for sport and
game, is (if their land be at peace) toward Harvest, when they set up a long house called Qunnkamuck.
Page 110
Which signifies Longhouse, sometimes an hundred, sometimes two hundred foot long upon a plaine neer the
Court (which they call Kitteickaick) where many thousands, men and women meet, where he that goes in
danceth in the sight of all the rest; and is prepared for money, coats, small breeches, knifes, or what hee is
able to reach to, and gives these things away to the poore, who yest must particularly beg and say,
Cowequetmmous, that is, I beseech you; which word (although there is not one common beggar amongst
them) yet they will often use when their richest amongst them would fain obtain ought by gift. (Roger
Williams, 1643)
That is, he hath some dead in his house (whether wife or child &c.) for although at the first being sicke, all the
Women and Maides blacke their faces with soote and other blackings; yet upon the death of the sicke, the
father, or husband, and all his neighbors, the men also ... weare blacke Faces, and lay on soote very thicke,
which I have often seene clotted with their tears.
This blacking and lamenting they observe in mist dolefull manner, divers weekes and monthes; yea,
a yeere. if the person be great and publike. (Roger Williams, 1643)
The Indian woman were getting ready for their Strawberry Thanksgiving over in Plymouth and hung their
babies on the trees all around the fields while they were picking wild strawberries for their feast. Then they
put one young Indian to watch.
And while he was watching, he began singing a song and whittling a stick. By and by a Pilgrim man
sat down beside him. The Indian, he kept right on singing, kept right on whittling. By and by the Pilgrim
man nudged him and said, I like your song, I like your song. as he pointed to his lips. By and by the Indian
understood what he was talking about and said, Wind rock baby, but by and by wind blow fast, bough break,
down come babies cradle and all. And he laughed when he thought what a squall it would be if they all
came tumbling down at once. (traditional; recorded in Princess Red Wing, 1986)
If it be the man or woman of the house, they will pull down the mats, and leave the frame standing, and bury
them in or near the same, and either remove their dwelling or give over house-keeping (from Winslow)
As they abound in lamentations for the dead, so they abound in consolation to the living, and visit them
frequently, using this word Kutchmmoke, Kutchmmoke, Be of good cheere, which they expresse by stroaking
the cheeke and head of the father or mother, husband, or wife of the dead. (Roger Williams, 1643)
The women in the times of their mourning, after the death of their husbands or kindred,do paint their faces all
over black, like a negro; and so continue in this posture many days. (Daniel Gookin, 1674)
Page 111
APPENDIX IV
Selection of some Europeans who wrote about New England Indians in the 1500s, 1600s, 1700s.
Source: Newsletter of Aquidneck Indian Council, Vol. 3
EUROPEAN WRITERS NAME
& DATES
LOCATION HE DESCRIBES
Giovanni da Verrazzano
(writing 1524-1650)
Samuel De Champlain (map, 1600)
Adrian Block (writing 1614)
Edward Winslow (1595-1655)
William Bradford (1590- )
William Wood (writing 1634)
Narragansett Bay
Page 112
Protestant
Christian
Missionari
64
4444
4
4744
444es
44
8
John Eliot (1604 - 1690)
14444444244444443
Pocumtucks
Pocumtucks
LanguageSources
Massachusetts State Archives, 220 Morrisey Blvd., Boston, MA 02125, open Mon-Fri. 9-5, Sat 9-3. Tel ~ 1-617-727-2816 [colonial period
documents of 1600s, 1700s, 1800s, on microfilm]. INTERNET<>http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7595/wamp1.htm
Trigger, Bruce G. (Volume Editor, 1978). Handbook of North American Indians, vol. 15 (Northeast). Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution.
[standard scholarly book]
Lenz, Peter A. (1995a). Skicinuwok Wanbanaghi or People of the Aurora, 1621-1625, vol. 2, Part 1. Norway, ME: Maine Performing Arts and
Humanities, Inc. [ Lenz has many good maps, long excerpts and help with Colonial-style English ]
Lenz, Peter A. (1995b). Skicinuwok Wanbanaghi or People of the Aurora, 1621-1625, vol. 2, Part 2. Norway, ME: Maine Performing Arts and
Humanities, Inc. [Lenz has many good maps, long excerpts and help with Colonial-style English ]]
Lenz, Peter A. (1995c). Skicinuwok Wanbanaghi: People of the Aurora, 1621-1625, [vol. 2,] Part 3. Norway, ME: Maine Performing Arts and
Humanities, Inc. [Lenz has many good maps, long excerpts and help with Colonial-style English ]]
We recommend the Lenz books (abstracts of the old works with commentary). Receive a listing of his other available publications on Algonquians and also BlackSlavery & Jewish Holocaust . Write to: P. Lenz, RR2, Box 1020. Norway, ME 04268 for catalogue.
Page 113
APPENDIX V
Bringing Back Our Lost Language
A paper presented at Carpenter Museum before The Rehoboth Antiquarian Society and The Annawan Historical Society,
Rehoboth, MA, March 11, 1998.
Introduction
Before the Europeans came to these shores in search of wealth and religious freedom for
themselves, about 12,000 Wampanoag Indians lived here in southeastern New Englandabout
8,000 on the mainland and about 4,000 on the islands. After the King Philips War (1675-1676)
only about 400 Wampanoag people survived. No one has done a complete history of all these
people following the war.
Over the years the forces of blood mixing, enactment of laws, disease, racial attitude, and
isolation have disintegrated the looks, language and lore of the First Americans of our region. But
Indian culture was never completely replaced by Christianity or European culture. A people does
not want to die!
The ancient language of the Wampanoag Indians, and related Algonquian-speakers, is called
nowadays Massachusett. This language, like most Indian languages, was oral. It was the language
spoken by The Massasoit Ousa Mequin, and by Annawan, and all of the Indians that lived in this
region.
The Massachusett language has been sleeping since the early 1800s. Even in the early 1700s,
some were not speaking fluently the language anymore. Because our ancestors were considered a
conquered people and no longer able to practice our culture, the new ways of Europeans slowly
replaced many of the old ways. It seems that the parents and grandparents just refused to teach their
children the old language, maybe because they saw the pain involved in being Indian in a world no
longer theirs.
Eventually the old language fell silent, as did all of the Indian languages across southern
New England, from Cape Cod and beyond to the Hudson River. Across Turtle Islandwhat we
call the United States of Americaover 125 American Indian languages have become extinct
through the harsh lessons of American history. Many more are on the brink of extinction.
Today many people want their ancient Massachusett language back and are willing to work
hard to learn a very complicated language. A language is the essence of one as a human being.
Knowing the language of ones Native American ancestors makes one unmistakably Indian.
Rebuilding the Massachusett language involves intense research and cooperation among Indians,
language scholars and others. Next to no funding is available to tribes or Councils who want to
bring back their lost language.
were on the land of the Wampanoag. When a separate group of English landed in 1630 [first in
Salem, MA, then Boston, MA] they entered the land of the Massachusuck (The Massachuset
People or People of the Great Hills). The Massachusuck, the Wampanoag and other indigenous
people along the coast, were victims of catastrophic diseases introduced by previous European
explorers as early as 1612-1613. The mortality rate reached 90%. This is the main reason why
Europeans met virtually no resistance when they came ashore.
Up in the Boston area, the charter of the Massachusetts Bay Company said that the principal
aim of the English colony was to incite the Native peoples to accept and practice the Christian
religion. Certain laws were even passed later to insure that the Indians would accept Christianity
and not practice their own religion.
Only the English missionaries took seriously this goal of conversion. One English name
stands out above all others in connection with the recording of the language of the Wampanoag and
other Algonquian-speaking peoples of southeastern New England. This man was John Eliot, a
Congregationalist Minister who came to New England in 1631. Eliot began to learn this unwritten
language. He was convinced that only by being able to communicate with native peoples in their
own language could he achieve the goal of spreading Christianity to the Indians. One day the local
Massachusett Sachem called Waban asked Eliot to explain Christian teachings. Later Eliot and his
now praying Indians founded a European-styled village at Natick, MA. This village was called a
praying village. Here Eliot worked with his devoted teacher (and servant of 35 years) Job
Nesutan to learn the language. Eliot worked with Job Nesutan and other Indians in translating the
Holy Bible into the Massachusett language. The Indian Bible (written entirely in the local Natick
dialect of Massachusett) was published in 1663 at Harvard University and a second edition was
printed in 1685 (so many Bibles were destroyed in the King Philips War, 1675-1676).
Other Indians that made possible the translation and publication of the Bible are John
Sassamon, Cochenoe and James Printer. Hardly anyone ever mentions the necessary contributions
of the Indians. Without these Indians there would have been no Bible. If Issac Newton, one of the
greatest European scientists could humbly claim he stood on the shoulders of giants to accomplish
his work, we can say the same of John Eliot and his Indian teachers.
Now, the Indian Bible is not the way Indians spoke the Massachusett language. Like the
English language Bible with its abstract language, the Indian Bible was meant to teach the Christian
faith which is very different from the Indian religion. But the Eliot Bible is one of the most
important primary sources we have for the pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar of the language.
In fact, the Massachusett language is perhaps the only language which has any chance of being
revived since we know more about this language than any other in the region.
It is ironic that the missionary John Eliot, who came here to destroy Indian culture, actually
preserved the language in written form. We must be thankful to the Natick Indian Job Nesutan, and
John Sassamon, Cochenoe and James Printer for they ultimately are the safekeepers of our language.
Narragansett Language
The Narragansett language, once spoken by the Narragansetts, is quite similar to
Massachusett. Narragansett was understood throughout New England.
Scholars refer to
Massachusett and Narragansett as dialects of the same language. Narragansett was partially
recorded by Roger Williams and published in his book A Key into the Language of America in
1643. Williams was writing a book so that the English who came here would have a phrase book to
use in communicating with the local people. This book is well worth getting. His book seems to
give some of the actual speech patterns of the Narragansetts (and the Wampanoag). Williams did a
better job than Eliot of recording the sounds of the language.
iii
We acknowledge the assistance of our Principal Humanities Scholars, Tall Oak <Council Elder>, and Karl V. Teeter <
Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, Harvard University>. We also acknowledge the guidance, support and love of the
late Slow Turtle, Supreme Medicine Man of the Wampanoag Nation.
iv
JOHN ELIOT
Indian Bible (1663, 1685)
Grammar Book (1666)
Other Religious writings
NOT THE WAY INDIANS SPOKE
ROGER WILLIAMS
A Key Into the Language
of America (1643)
Narragansett language
Same language, spelling differs
CLOSE TO WAY INDIANS
SPOKE
JOSIAH COTTON
Vocabulary of the Massachusetts
Indian (Natick) Language (1707, 1830)
Wampanoag dialect, Plymouth
JAMES H. TRUMBULL
Natick Dictionary (1903)
Vocabulary & some grammar
from ELIOT, WILLIAMS, COTTON
GODDARD & BRAGDON
Native Writings In
Massachusett (1988)
SIMILAR
ALGONQUIAN
LANGUAGES
MASS.-NARR.
REVIVAL
Figure 4. Sources of Information for the Massachusett Language Revival Program. Sources given in
References at back of book.
APPENDIX VI
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
Guide to Historic Spellings & Sounds
in Massachusett-Narragansett
(Mainland Dialects from Records of 1600s & 1700s)
STRESS AND PITCH MARKS
STRESS (Accent)
LANGUAGE
PITCH (Tone)
LANGUAGE
(high or rising)
(low or falling)
(rising, then falling)
m (pause, hesitation)
Narragansett ?
Narragansett ?
Narragansett [in Massachusett ^ symbol is for nasals , , ]
Massachusett & Narragansett
SYLLABLE STRESS
Stress (or emphasis or accent) typically falls on syllable or syllables marked with special
symbols (e.g., wtu stresses first syllable with primary/main stress; ew stresses second with a
low/falling tone; wuskwhn has main stress & low pitch; a stresses a and ).
Narragansett is well-stressed, although inconsistently and ambiguously (G. Aubin, 1972). Most
Massachusett language words in Eliot seem to have no stress marks. This may indicate either that
no special stress on any one syllable exists [e.g., nippe, askk, mehtugq], or it was omitted
intentionally for fluent speakers of the language being taught the Bible in their own oral language.
Algonquianist Professor G. Aubin, a respected correspondent of the Aquidneck Indian Council,
relates in a personal e-mail communication of 6-25-2002, the possible applicability of the following
efficient Ojibway-like rule for long/short vowels shown below (cf. Goddard and Bragdon, 1988):
o All long vowels are stressed
o All alternate even-numbered short vowels are stressed
This rule presupposes the existence of correct vowel classification which has not been achieved
for the extinct American Indian languages Massachusett-Narragansett. Consequently, accent and
pronunciation in this extinct American Indian language group is largely intuitive; it is also based
significantly on imitating the sounds from similar existing Algonquian languages such as
Maliseet/Passamaquoddy which are documented in the theoretical and educational literature .
vi
VOWELS & CONSONANTS (true phonemes). See the list below for other vowel spellings
& sounds.
61-4
VOWELS
42 4 43
u{
a ee
o oo
1 42
43o
SHORT
LONG
ch h k m n p s sh t tt,
te, 3
ty w y
12
1 - conson .
SPELLING
APPROXIMATE SOUND
aa [as in waantamonk]
long ah
a
(
a
)
[as in waw amek ]
(
[as in pa ]
[as in nmaus]
a
[as in pesik]
e in he (or) a in am
(akomee)]
ag [as in tannag (tanok)]
ak as in clock
ah [word ending]
long ah
ah [long version]
(spwee)]
vii
ahs
ow
a [as in a]
ah-ou ( is oo in boot)
(kophak)]
b, bp [word ending]
ca, co, cu
cau
ce, ci
ch [word beginning and after h]
ch in much, etching
cha in cha-cha
(steum)]
che, chee
chee in cheese
in wechu (weeteuw)]
ch in much, etching
dj
ch in match (rare)
(keesukun)]
viii
e in he
ee
e in he
e in he (or) long ah
e in end
mehtugquemes (muhtukweemees)]
es [word ending for diminutive as in mehtugques
(muhtukwees)]
ese [word ending for Narr. diminutive, as in squese
(skwahees)]
et [word ending , locative as in pautuxet]
et in set
eu in feud
not used
(akomee)]
g, gk [word ending as in mehtug (muhtukw) &
tannag (tanok)]
gh
ghk
gi, ji
gi in giant
qu in queen
qu in queen
ees
ees [final e in ese probably silent & means preceeding vowel
is long; see e (word ending)]
mehtugquash (muhtukwash) ]
h, hh
hch, ch
ch in chair
k in cow
(keeskee) ]
hsh
sh in shoe
ht
ht in height
ix
hw, hwh
wh in what
e in he
[as in sickssuog]
i
(
(
i [as in nehch i ppog ]
i in ice
[as in a]
e in he ( rarely seen)
ie
e in he [rare]
ish as in dish
us
it or ut in put
ji
gi in giant
ch in etching
(kwochtak)]
k [word beginning & after consonant]
k in cow
(mahkus)]
k [word ending as in ahtuk (ahtukw)]
kau
ke
ke , kee
kee in keep
kh
ck in back?
ki
ko
nukqutchtamup (nukwuchtamup)]
kuh, keh [as in kehtnog (kuhtoonakw)]
m, mm
n [ beginning of word]
n in no
i in ill
oo [as in askook]
oo in food
oooo,
[as in wmpi (wampee) & anme (anme)]
o [as in k omuk ]
o in old
is very rare.
ak in clock
ak in clock
oi
oi in oil
nasal a in blanc + e in he
oo
,
[as in sohsum onk]
(
[as in peantam( onk ]
a in sofa
oo in foot
ou
ou in out
w [word beginning]
p [word ending]
pss ( rare)
pu in put
qu in queen
qu in queen
qu in queen
heard
xi
qu
quo in Pequot
qui
kwayee
quah
kwun
qu [as in qutshau&& ]
qut
kwut
s in sip
(mukwahshum)]
sh [before consonant as in kishke (keeskee) ]
s in sip
show in rain-shower
sk in Alaska
squah in squat
sook
[as in a ]
&& ]
u [as in qu tshau
(
u [as in wonkqu( ssis ]
u in rude, tune
u&
[as in a]
k is qu sound as in queen
ut in put (or) it
uw [word beginning]
a w whistling sound
not used
w, ww
wh
wh in what
wi
y in yes
y
(
y
yau
yaw
you
yo
yo
yo in yo-yo
s in sip
u in circus, up?
NOTE
The above spellings are selected from the works of John Eliot, Josiah Cotton, Roger Williams & J.
H. Trumbull. The Nantucket & Marthas Vineyard island dialects are not included. The symbols
and 8 are seen in modern writings to stand for Eliots special character oo. There is a great deal of
uncertainty in our knowledge about the actual speech sounds and patterns of the Algonquianspeaking full-blooded Indians of southeastern New England (Rhode Island, Massachusetts & parts of
Conn.). For additional information on these matters of phonology, consult the works by Goddard
(1981), Goddard & Bragdon (1988), and other references cited in those sources.
xiii
14
APPENDIX VII
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
(Cape Canaveral, Florida)
For Immediate Release
A PROCLAMATION
American Indians and Alaska Natives -- the first Americans -- have made enormous contributions to the life of our
country. When the first Europeans arrived on this continent, they did not find an empty land; they found instead a land
of diverse peoples with a rich and complex system of governments, languages, religions, values, and traditions that have
shaped and influenced American history and heritage. Generations of American Indians have served and sacrificed to
defend our freedom, and no segment of our population has sent a larger percentage of its young men and women to serve
in our Armed Forces. But American Indians are not just an important part of our country's past; they are also a vital part
of today's America and will play an even more important role in America's future.
There are more than 2 million American Indians living in our country today, from the hardwood forests of Maine to
the Florida Everglades, across the Great Plains to the Pacific Coast, and throughout the State of Alaska. Through a
variety of innovative enterprises, many tribes are sharing in the unprecedented prosperity our country enjoys today,
prosperity that is reflected in the construction of community centers, schools, museums, and other cultural centers.
However, many people who live in Indian Country are caught in a cycle of poverty made worse by poor health care and
a lack of educational and employment opportunity. If we are to honor the United States Government's long-standing
obligations to Indian tribes, we must do all in our power to ensure that American Indians have access to the tools and
opportunities they need to make the most of their lives.
As part of this endeavor, my Administration has strengthened the special government-to-government relationship
between the Federal Government and the sovereign nations of Indian Country, expanded the role of American Indians
and Alaska Natives in the Administration, and sought to increase educational opportunities and economic development
throughout Indian Country. Earlier this year, I signed an Executive order directing the Federal Government to work
together with tribal and State governments to improve Native American achievement in math and reading, raise high
school graduation rates, increase the number of Native American youth attending college, improve science education,
and expand the use of educational technology. We are also striving to boost economic development in Indian Country by
working with tribal governments to meet their technology infrastructure needs, to coordinate and strengthen existing
Native American economic development initiatives, and to help Native Americans obtain loans more easily for building
homes and starting new businesses. Today's Native Americans are among the youngest segments of our population -- a
new, large generation of young people who, if empowered with the education, skills, opportunity, and encouragement
they need to thrive, can lead Indian Country into a future as bright and promising as its extraordinary past. As we
observe National American Indian Heritage Month, let us resolve to work together to make that future a reality.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM J. CLINTON, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 1998 as National
American Indian Heritage Month. I urge all Americans, as well as their elected representatives at the Federal, State,
local, and tribal levels, to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities.
15
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of October, in the year of our Lord
nineteen hundred and ninety-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-third.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
16
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Aubin, George (1972). A Historical Phonology of Narragansett. Providence, RI: Ph.D. Dissertation, Brown
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Baraga, Frederic (1878, 1992). A Dictionary of the Ojibway Language. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Historical
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Benjamin, Mary (1999, forthcoming). The Memoirs of Princess Red Wing.
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Bonfanti, Leo (1993). Biographies and Legends of the New England Indians, Vol. 1. Burlington, MA: Pride
Publications, Inc.
Bradford, William. History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646. William T. Davis (ed.). NY: Charles
Scribners Sons.
Bradford, William. Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647. Samuel E. Morison (ed.). NY: Knopf. Reprinted,
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17
Drake, Samuel (1853). The Book of Indians of North America. Boston: Josiah Drake.
Earle, John M. (1821). Report to the Governor and Council Concerning the Indians of the Commonwealth.
Boston, MA: William White.
Eliot, John (1663). The Holy Bible: Containing the Old Testament and New Translated into the Indian
Language by John Eliot. Cambridge, MA: Samuel Green and Marmaduke Johnson. (second edition, 1685.)
Eliot, John (1666). The Indian Grammar Begun; or, an Essay to Bring The Indian Language into Rules for
the Help of Such as Desire to Learn the Same for the Furtherance of the Gospel Among Them. Cambridge,
MA.
Eliot, John & Thomas Mayhew (1653) "Tears of repentance: or, A further Narrative of the Progress of the
Gospel Amongst the Indians in New-England". London: Peter Cole. Reprinted in Collections of the
Massachusetts Historical Society, 3rd. ser. vol. 4, 1834, pp. 197-287.
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pakodjteau-un
[it is ended]
22
Wunnohteaonk
23
Strong Woman (Julianne Jennings) is descended from the Nations of Pequot, Cherokee and Wampanoag.
She is a Tribal Member & Advisor to the Seaconke Tribe, Wampanoag Nation. She is also a member of The
Rhode Island Indian Council, and a Tribal Member of the Dighton Intertribal Indian Council. Strong Woman
was born in Providence, Rhode Island and raised in a secret Society of Elders where she was taught the ways
of her people. As a child, she was a student at the Algonquin Indian School of the Rhode Island Indian
Council where she received intensive training in the Natick-Massachusett language from Chief Spotted Eagle
of The Nipmuck Nation. Strong Woman is vice-president of the nonprofit corporation, Aquidneck Indian
Council, Inc., and serves currently as Project Director of The Massachusett Language Revival Project. She is
listed in The National Registry of Native American Artists. Strong Woman has received many awards of
recognition for her work with school children. She was recently awarded the Volunteers in Newport
Education (V.I.N.E.) Award. Strong Woman lives in Newport, Rhode Island with her husband Moondancer
and their three children Brian, Julia and Lily.
24
The law which they observed in old times was thisto do to another only that which they wished to be
done to them. ... All lived in good friendship & understanding. They refused no thing to one another. If
one wigwam or family had not provisions enough, the neighbors supplied them, although they had only
that which was necessary for themselves. And in all things it was the same. They lived pure lives; their
wives were faithful to their husbands, and the girls were chaste
Nicholas Denys, 1672
They are much given to hospitality in their way. If a stranger come to their houses, they will give him
the best lodgings and diet they have; and the strangers must be served first, by themselves. The wife
makes ready; and by her husbands direction, delivers to the strangers, according to their quality, or his
affection
Daniel Gookin, 1674
The unexpected approach of a mortal wound by a bullet, an arrow, or sword strikes no more terror,
cause no more exclamation, no more complaint or winceing than if it had been shot into a tree ... some of
them having been shot in at the mouth and out under the ear, some shot in the breast, some run through
and other many desperate wounds, which they either by their rare skill in the use of vegatatives or
diabolical charms they are in short time ... [cured]
25