# Massasoit > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Massasoit > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Massasoit.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massasoit > Source revision: 1355664332 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Leader of the Wampanoag confederacy For the hybrid grape variety, see [Massasoit (grape)](/source/Massasoit_(grape)). Massasoit Ousamequin Massasoit and his Warriors Wampanoag leader Succeeded by Wamsutta Sachem Personal details Born Ousamequin c. 1581 present-day Bristol County, Rhode Island Died 1661 (aged 80) likely present-day Rhode Island Relations Zerviah Gould Mitchell (descendant) Children Wamsutta, Metacomet Mother tongue Wampanoag 1904 photo of [Profile Rock](/source/Profile_Rock) in [Assonet, Massachusetts](/source/Assonet%2C_Massachusetts); local Wampanoags believe it represents Massasoit. **Massasoit Sachem** ([/ˌmæsəˈsɔɪ(ɪ)t/](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:IPA/English) [*MASS-ə-SOYT, -⁠SOY-it*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:Pronunciation_respelling_key))[1][2] or **Ousamequin** (c. 1581 – 1661)[3] was the [sachem](/source/Sachem) or leader of the [Wampanoag](/source/Wampanoag) confederacy. *Massasoit* means *Great Sachem*. Although Massasoit was only his title, English colonists mistook it as his name and it stuck.[4] Massasoit's people had been seriously weakened by a series of epidemics and were vulnerable to attacks by the [Narragansetts](/source/Narragansett_people), and he formed an alliance with the colonists at [Plymouth Colony](/source/Plymouth_Colony) for defense against them. It was through his assistance that the Plymouth Colony avoided starvation during the early years. ## English at Plymouth At the time of the pilgrims' arrival in Plymouth, the realm of the Wampanoag, also known as the [Pokanokets](/source/Pokanokets), included parts of [Rhode Island](/source/Rhode_Island) and much of southeastern [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts).[5] Massasoit lived in Sowams, a village at [Pokanoket](/source/Pokanoket) in [Warren, Rhode Island](/source/Warren%2C_Rhode_Island). He held the allegiance of lesser Pokanoket sachems. In 1621, he sent [Squanto](/source/Squanto) to live among the colonists at Plymouth.[6] Outbreaks of an unidentified disease had devastated the Pokanokets, and Massasoit sought an alliance with the colonies of [New England](/source/New_England) against the neighboring Narragansetts who controlled an area west of [Narragansett Bay](/source/Narragansett_Bay) in Rhode Island. [Samoset](/source/Samoset) was a minor Abenaki sachem (*sagamore*) who hailed from the [Muscongus Bay](/source/Muscongus_Bay) area of [Maine](/source/Maine),[7] and he learned to speak English from fishermen who plied those waters. Massasoit sent him to approach the colonists to find out whether their intentions were peaceful. Massasoit forged critical political and personal ties with colonial leaders [William Bradford](/source/William_Bradford_(1590-1657)), [Edward Winslow](/source/Edward_Winslow), [Stephen Hopkins](/source/Stephen_Hopkins_(settler)), [John Carver](/source/John_Carver_(Mayflower_passenger)), and [Myles Standish](/source/Myles_Standish), ties which grew out of a [peace treaty](/source/Peace_treaty) negotiated on March 22, 1621. The alliance ensured that the Pokanokets remained neutral during the [Pequot War](/source/Pequot_War) in 1636.[8] According to English sources, Massasoit prevented the failure of Plymouth Colony and the starvation that the [Pilgrims](/source/Pilgrims) faced during its earliest years.[8] ## Lasting alliance Part of an old map of New England, Morton's Memorial, 1677. The crown, indicating the royal seat of Massasoit, lies between the two branches of the [Sowams River](/source/Warren_River). Some tension continued between Massasoit and the colonists when they refused to give up [Squanto](/source/Squanto), whom Massasoit presumed to have betrayed him. This was resolved in March 1623 when Massasoit was gravely ill and Edward Winslow nursed him back to health.[9] After his recovery, Winslow reports that Massasoit said, "the English are my friends and love me ... whilst I live I will never forget this kindness they have showed me."[10] In return for their kindness, Massasoit warned them of a plot against them. He had learned that a group of influential [Massachusett](/source/Massachusett) warriors intended to destroy both the [Wessagusset](/source/Wessagusset) and Plymouth colonies, and he warned the Pilgrims in time. Massasoit smoking a [ceremonial pipe](/source/Ceremonial_pipe) with Governor [John Carver](/source/John_Carver_(Mayflower_passenger)) in [Plymouth](/source/Plymouth_Colony), 1621 as imagined by a 19th century engraver The alliance came under other tension in later years, as the colonists expanded into new lands in order to support their growing colony. Massasoit sold a tract of land 14 miles square to Myles Standish and others of [Duxbury](/source/Duxbury%2C_Massachusetts) in 1649 to alleviate tension and maintain the peace. The sale took place atop [Sachem Rock](/source/Sachem_Rock_Farm), an outcropping on the [Satucket River](/source/Satucket_River) in [East Bridgewater, Massachusetts](/source/East_Bridgewater%2C_Massachusetts). The site is listed on the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places). ## Children Massasoit had five children: son [Wamsutta](/source/Wamsutta), who was born between 1621 and 1625; son Pometecomet, [Metacomet](/source/Metacomet), or Metacom; son Sonkanuchoo; and daughters Amie and Sarah. Soon after Massasoit's death, Wamsutta and Metacomet went to Plymouth and asked the Pilgrims to give them English names. The court named them Alexander and Philip. Wamsutta, the eldest, became [sachem](/source/Sachem) of the [Pokanokets](/source/Pokanoket) on the death of his father.[11] He died within a year, and his brother Metacom succeeded him in 1662.[12] Amie married Tispaquin and was the only one of Massasoit's five children to survive [King Philip's War](/source/King_Philip's_War) in 1676. ## Legacy This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) [Statue of Massasoit](/source/Massasoit_(statue)) in Plymouth, overlooking the site of [Plymouth Rock](/source/Plymouth_Rock); a relief portrait of Massasoit salvaged from the gable of the former [Massasoit Block](/source/D._H._%26_A._B._Tower#History) in [Holyoke](/source/Holyoke) [Roger Williams](/source/Roger_Williams) fled the [Massachusetts Bay Colony](/source/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony) to avoid arrest and deportation for religious reasons and stayed the winter of 1635–36 with Massasoit, who gave him land along the [Seekonk River](/source/Seekonk_River) the following spring. Governor Winslow advised Williams to move his settlement to the other side of the river because his current location was within the bounds of Plymouth Colony. Williams did so and founded [Providence Plantations](/source/Providence_Plantations), which later became part of the [Colony of Rhode Island](/source/Colony_of_Rhode_Island_and_Providence_Plantations).[13] The half century of peace that Massasoit so assiduously maintained collapsed soon after his death. Wamsutta broke away from his father's diplomacy and began an alliance with [Connecticut Colony](/source/Connecticut_Colony). Sources describe Massasoit as humane and honest, that he kept his word, and endeavored to imbue his people with a love for peace. He kept the Pilgrims advised of any warlike designs toward them by other tribes.[11] It is unclear when Massasoit died. Some accounts claim that it was as early as 1660; others contend that he died as late as 1662. He was anywhere from 80 to 90 at the time.[11] Wamsutta died suddenly within a year of his succession, and Massasoit's second son Metacom became sachem of the Pokanokets and chief sachem of the Greater Wampanoag Confederacy. He concluded that Wamsutta had been murdered at the hands of the Colonists, and this was one of the factors that led to [King Philip's War](/source/King_Philip's_War), one of the bloodiest wars in Colonial American history. A [statue of Massasoit](/source/Massasoit_(statue)) by sculptor [Cyrus E. Dallin](/source/Cyrus_E._Dallin) stands near [Plymouth Rock](/source/Plymouth_Rock), with others [outside the Utah State Capitol](/source/Statue_of_Massasoit_(Salt_Lake_City)) building, on the campus of [Brigham Young University](/source/Brigham_Young_University), at the [Springville Museum of Art](/source/Springville_Museum_of_Art) in [Springville, Utah](/source/Springville%2C_Utah), and in [Kansas City, Missouri](/source/Kansas_City%2C_Missouri) at the corner of Main Street and Emanuel Cleaver II Blvd. In Massachusetts, both [Massasoit Community College](/source/Massasoit_Community_College) and [Massasoit State Park](/source/Massasoit_State_Park)[14] are named for him. ## Gallery - Meeting of Governor Carver and Massasoit - The Palace of Massasoit - Sculpture of Ousamequin in Mill Creek Park, Kansas City, Missouri by [Cyrus E. Dallin](/source/Cyrus_E._Dallin) ## See also - [List of early settlers of Rhode Island](/source/List_of_early_settlers_of_Rhode_Island) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Massasoit"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Massasoit). *[Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary](/source/Merriam-Webster)*. Merriam-Webster. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1032680871](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1032680871). Retrieved February 24, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Massasoit Commercial - 30 Seconds"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9MHRSimXLU&t=22s). Massasoit Community College. February 25, 2020. Retrieved February 25, 2021. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-MassMF_3-0)** "Native People" (page), "Massasoit (Ousamequin) Sachem" (section),*MayflowerFamilies.com*, web page:[MFcom-Native](http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/philip/d1.htm) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20061104203528/http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/philip/d1.htm) November 4, 2006, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Bicknell, p. 12 1. **[^](#cite_ref-hosm_5-0)** Wright, Otis Olney, ed. (1917). [*History of Swansea, Massachusetts, 1667-1917*](https://archive.org/stream/historyofswansea00wrig#page/19/mode/1up). Town of Swansea. p. 19. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [1018149266](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/1018149266). Retrieved 11 June 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Humins, John H. (March 1987). "Squanto and Massasoit: A Struggle for Power". *New England Quarterly*. 60 (1): 54–70. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.2307/365654](https://doi.org/10.2307%2F365654). JSTOR 365654. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bradford, William (1952). Morison, Samuel Eliot (ed.). *Of Plymouth Plantation, 1620–1647*. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. p. 80, n.8 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Wampanoag_8-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Wampanoag_8-1) ["Pokanoket Leaders", Wampanoag Nation](http://pokanoket.us/Pokanoket-Leaders.html#MASSASOIT_OUSAMEQUIN) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Alvin G. Weeks, [*Massasoit of the Wampanoags*](http://www.nanations.com/massasoit/index.htm), 1919. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Winslow, ch. 4 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Appletons_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Appletons_11-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Appletons_11-2) [Wilson, J. G.](/source/James_Grant_Wilson); [Fiske, J.](/source/John_Fiske_(philosopher)), eds. (1900). ["Massasoit"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Appletons%27_Cyclop%C3%A6dia_of_American_Biography/Massasoit). *[Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography](/source/Appletons'_Cyclop%C3%A6dia_of_American_Biography)*. New York: D. Appleton. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** [Peirce, Ebenezer. *Indian History*, Zeviah Gould Mitchell, North Abington, Massachusetts, 1878](https://archive.org/stream/indianhistorybio00peir#page/38/mode/2up) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["Roger Williams National Memorial", National Park Service](https://web.archive.org/web/20120903084213/http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/cultural_diversity/Roger_Williams_National_Memorial.html) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["Massasoit State Park", Commonwealth of Massachusetts](https://www.mass.gov/locations/massasoit-state-park) ## Sources - "Native People" (page), "Massasoit (Ousamequin) Sachem" (section), *MayflowerFamilies.com*, webpage: [MFcom-Native](https://web.archive.org/web/20061104203528/http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/philip/d1.htm). - Bicknell, Thomas Williams (1908). [*Sowams, with Ancient Records of Sowams and Parts Adjacent*](https://archive.org/details/sowamswithancien00bic). New Haven: Associated Publishers of American Records. - Winslow, Edward (1624). [*Good Newes from New England*](http://www.histarch.uiuc.edu/plymouth/goodnews0.html). London. - [Nathaniel Philbrick](/source/Nathaniel_Philbrick), *Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War,* New York 2006. ## Further reading - Lisa Blee and Jean M. O'Brien, *Monumental Mobility: The Memory Work of Massasoit.* Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2019. - Virginia Baker, *[Massasoit's Town, Sowams in Pokanoket, Its History Legends and Traditions](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/65284)*, Published by the author, Warren, Rhode Island, 1904 ## External links - Media related to [Massasoit](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Massasoit) at Wikimedia Commons - ["Massasoit"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_Student%27s_Reference_Work/Massasoit). [*The New Student's Reference Work*](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_New_Student%27s_Reference_Work). 1914. - ["Massasoit"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_American_Cyclop%C3%A6dia_(1879)/Massasoit). *[The American Cyclopædia](/source/The_American_Cyclop%C3%A6dia)*. 1879. v t e Mayflower passengers and related topics General Mayflower List of Mayflower passengers who died at sea November/December 1620 who died in the winter of 1620–21 Captain Christopher Jones The More family Cole's Hill Mayflower Compact signatories Pilgrims Plymouth Colony Of Plymouth Plantation Mourt's Relation Separatists Priscilla (Mullins) Alden Isaac Allerton Mary Allerton William Bradford Love Brewster William Brewster Peter Browne William Butten John Carver James Chilton Mary Chilton Francis Cooke Humility Cooper John Crackston Edward Doty Moses Fletcher Edward Fuller Samuel Fuller John Howland Degory Priest Thomas Rogers Henry Samson George Soule Edward Tilley John Tilley Thomas Tinker John Turner William White Resolved White Peregrine White Edward Winslow Other passengers John Alden John Billington Francis Eaton Constance Hopkins Oceanus Hopkins Stephen Hopkins Christopher Martin Elinor More Jasper More Mary More Richard More William Mullins Myles Standish Richard Warren Native American associates Squanto Samoset Hobbamock Massasoit Corbitant Related Speedwell Fortune The Anne and Little James passengers Plymouth Rock Mayflower Society Mayflower House Museum Pilgrim Hall Museum Mayflower II Mayflower AI sea drone Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre Myles Standish Burial Ground Myles Standish Monument National Monument to the Forefathers Pilgrim Monument Pilgrim Tercentenary half dollar Signing of the Mayflower Compact (1922 relief) Mayflower: The Pilgrims' Adventure (1979 film) The Pilgrim Progress (reenactment) v t e Thanksgiving History and traditions Canada Samuel de Champlain Martin Frobisher United States Traditional mythology Pilgrims Mayflower Plymouth Colony Plymouth, Massachusetts William Bradford Edward Winslow Mary Brewster Susanna White Samoset Squanto Massasoit Patuxet Wampanoag Cornucopia National Thanksgiving Proclamation Franksgiving National Thanksgiving Turkey Presentation Sarah Josepha Hale Blackout Wednesday Abraham Lincoln Freedom from Want Mourt's Relation Friendsgiving Cuisine Thanksgiving dinner Turkey Tofurkey Turducken Stuffing Gravy Butternut squash Apple cider Cranberry sauce Creamed corn Mashed potatoes Sweet potatoes Succotash Green bean casserole Pie Apple Pumpkin Pecan Sweet Potato Thanksgiving sandwich Media Songs "Alice's Restaurant" "Bless This House" "Bringing In the Sheaves" "Come, Ye Thankful People, Come" "For the Beauty of the Earth" "Jingle Bells" "Let All Things Now Living" "Over the River and Through the Wood" "The Thanksgiving Song" "We Gather Together" "We Plough the Fields and Scatter" "You Name It" Television "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Garfield's Thanksgiving Intergalactic Thanksgiving Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular The Mouse on the Mayflower "Oprah's Favorite Things" Saints & Strangers "Slapsgiving" "Slapsgiving 2: Revenge of the Slap" Star Wars Holiday Special "Thanksgiving" "Thanksgiving Orphans" The Thanksgiving Special Turkey Hollow "Turkeys Away" A Very Gaga Thanksgiving A Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving Associated events Cultural Christmas and holiday season Harvest festival List Thanksgiving in film Thanksgiving television specials Lighting of the Macy's Great Tree National Adoption Day Black Friday Cyber Black Friday Brown Friday National Day of Listening Native American Heritage Day Small Business Saturday Cyber Monday GivingTuesday Jews and Thanksgiving Thanksgivukkah Parades Novant Health (Charlotte) Chicago America's (Detroit) Oktoberfest (Kitchener-Waterloo) Hollywood Christmas (Los Angeles) Macy's (New York City) 6abc-Dunkin' (Philadelphia) Celebrate the Season (Pittsburgh) America's Hometown (Plymouth) Protests National Day of Mourning Unthanksgiving Day Buy Nothing Day Sports Football NFL John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration CFL Thanksgiving Classic Turkey Day Classic Kirkwood vs. Webster Groves Pennridge vs. Quakertown Boston English vs. Boston Latin Turkey trots Buffalo Turkey Trot Dallas Turkey Trot Feaster Five Road Race Manchester Road Race Run for the Diamonds Others National Dog Show Pumpkin chucking / Pumpkin shoot Skins Game Turkey bowling Turkey Night Grand Prix Authority control databases International VIAF GND FAST WorldCat National United States Israel Other IdRef Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Massasoit](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massasoit) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massasoit?action=history)). 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