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Wampum belts

   Men rarely used other decorative paints unless on the warpath. Every warrior painted himself as he wished-always with the hope of frightening his enemies. He was an expert with background colors, figures of birds and animals, and particularly the clan symbols across his chest. Various colors were used, especially black, yellow and vermilion. These paints were kept in small, individual bags. There were also bags of fat to be used to mix the dry pigments into a paste. These were contained in a larger bag and carried by both men and women. Tattoos were popular. William Wood tells how upon the cheeks of the superior males there were “certain portraitures of Beares, Deeres, Mooses, Wolves...Eagles, Hawkes” incised permanently in ink, which were thought to be permanent decorations on clan members. He also noted round impressions on their arms and breasts, though he was uncertain of their purpose. In tattooing, the skin was pierced with a sharp stone or bone sliver and black dye worked into the deeper layers. Cheeks were a usual place for tattooing. Some Indians went a step further by burning designs into the skin with a hot tool, sometimes searing a length along the lateral arms.

Roger Williams, who worked closely with the Indians reported: “For the temper of the brain in quick apprehension and accurate judgments to say no more”. William Wood also found their understanding quick, judgment good, and memory strong. Father Paul le Jeune, writing of the Canadian Algonquins who were related to the New England Indians, reported: “I have not seen anyone who does not frankly admit that the Savages are more intelligent than our ordinary peasants.” He even went so far as to suggest that laborers be sent from France to work for the Indians.

Wampanoag house

Wampanoag canoe

The earliest contacts between the Wampanoag and Europeans occurred during the 1500s as fishing and trading vessels roamed the New England coast. Judging from the Wampanoag's later attitude towards the Pilgrims, most of these encounters were friendly. Some, however, were not. European captains were known to increase profits by capturing natives to sell as slaves.

Massasoi

   Massasoit, sachem of the Wampanoag tribe, brought food to sustain the newcomers through their first winter and helped them adjust to life in this strange, new world. With time the English no longer needed Natives wilderness skills to survive, and fishing and other commerce had largely replaced the fur and wampum trade which had been the mainstays of the colonial economy during the early years. While there was nothing to equal the devastation of 1614-20, the native population had continued to decline from continuing epidemics: 1633, 1635, 1654, 1661 and 1667. The Puritans' "humane" solution to this after 1640 was the missionary work of John Eliot and others to convert the native population. How "humane" these efforts actually were is a matter of opinion. Converts were settled in small communities of "Praying Indians" at Natick, Nonantum, Punkapog, and other locations. Natives even partially resistant to the Puritan version of Christianity were unwelcome. Attendance at church was mandatory, clothing and hair changed to proper colonial styles, and even a hint of traditional ceremony and religion was grounds for expulsion. Tribal culture and authority disintegrated in the process.

Wamsutta (Alexander)

   Even Massasoit fell in with the adoption of English customs and before his death in 1661, petitioned the General Court at Plymouth to give English names to his two sons. The eldest Wamsutta was renamed Alexander, and his younger brother Metacomet became Philip. Married to Queen Weetamoo of Pocasset, Alexander became grand sachem of the Wampanoag upon the death of his father. The English were not pleased with his independent attitude, and invited him to Plymouth for "talks." After eating a meal in Duxbury, Alexander became violently ill and died. The Wampanoag were told he died of a fever, but the records from the Plymouth Council at the time make note of an expense for poison "to rid ourselves of a pest." The following year Metacomet (Wewesawanit) succeeded his murdered brother as grand sachem of the Wampanoag eventually becoming known to the English as King Philip.

King Philip, 1671

   Philip does not appear to have been a man of hate, but under his leadership, the Wampanoag attitude towards the colonists underwent a drastic change. Realizing that the English would not stop until they had taken everything, Philip was determined to prevent further expansion of English settlement, but this was impossible for the Wampanoag by themselves since they were down to only 1,000 people by this time. Travelling from his village at Mount Hope, Philip began to slowly enlist other tribes for this purpose. Even then it was a daunting task, since the colonists in New England by this time outnumbered the natives better than two to one (35,000 versus 15,000). Philip made little attempt to disguise his purpose, and through a network of spies (Praying Indians), the English knew what he was doing. Summoned to Taunton in 1671, Philip listened to accusations and signed an agreement to give up the Wampanoag's firearms. However, he did not stay around for dinner afterwards, and the guns were never surrendered.

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