Wamsutta, sachem of the Pokanoket

Wamsutta (d. 1662), also known as Alexander Pokanoket, was a Wampanoag sachem. He was the eldest son of Ousamequin, best known as the Massasoit (grand sachem) of the Pokanoket tribe and the Wampanoag confederacy, and also the brother of Metacom (King Philip), who succeeded Wamsutta as sachem.

No records give Wamsutta's age or other early details beyond his paternity. According to genealogist Ebenezer W. Perice, "Wamsutta appears to have first received the name of Moonanam, which was changed in or about 1641 to Wamsutta"; no source for that information is given.

In or before 1653, Wamsutta became the second husband of Weetamoo, a Pocasset Wampanoag sunksqua (female sachem). No children are known or recorded. Wamsutta's brother Metacom (later Philip) married Wootonekanuske, Weetamoo's sister.

Wamsutta was a large landowner (from the colonial perspective) as a result of his status as sachem. He appears frequently in the land records of the General Court of Plymouth, both as a plaintiff and a defendant. In one instance, "Wamsitta" complained that some of his land had been unlawfully sold by a Narragansett sachem. In another case, two Indigenous people of unidentified tribes, one of whom was a female sachem, said "Wamsitta" had unlawfully sold some of their lands. (Springer)

In 1662, following the death of their father, Wamsutta and Metacom wrote to the General Court and asked to be given English names. They were named Alexander and Philip, respectively. (Byrne and Fairbanks) The surname "Pokanoket," which is sometimes appended to their names but is not found in the colonial records, derives from the name of their specific Wampanoag tribe.

After Ousamequin's death in 1661, Wamsutta/Alexander became the grand sachem of all the tribes between the Charles River in Massachusetts and Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island, including the tribes in eastern Rhode Island and eastern Massachusetts. As a result of a collapse of the fur trade, he substantially increased the power of the Pokanoket by selling land to colonists.

In 1662, in his first year as grand sachem, he was summoned to and seized by the Plymouth Court. After being questioned, Wamsutta/Alexander became ill and soon died. Some accounts say he died while travelling home in a canoe; others say his body was returned via canoe but do not specify where he died. What is known is that "his body was returned to his people over part of the water route which is now called the Wampanoag Commemorative Canoe Passage," which "runs for more than 70 miles from Scituate on Massachusetts Bay to Dighton Rock State Park on the Taunton River as it flows into Narragansett Bay." (Dighton)

Wamsutta/Alexander was succeeded by his brother, Metacom/Philip, who believed Wamsutta/Alexander's death was caused by poisoning. This distrust of the colonists was one of the factors that led to the outbreak of King Philip's War in 1675.

The above incorporates some text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.

Sources

• Byrne, Terence G. and Kathryn Fairbanks. "Sunconewhew: 'Phillip's Brother'?" Bulletin of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society, Vol. 57, Issue 2, Fall 1996, pp. 50-57.
• Springer, James Warren. "American Indians and the Law of Real Property in Colonial New England." The American Journal of Legal History 30, no. 1 (1986): 25–58. https://doi.org/10.2307/845938.
• Peirce, Ebenezer Weaver and Mitchell, Zerviah G. Indian History, Biography and Genealogy: Pertaining to the Good Sachem Massasoit of the Wampanoag Tribe, and His Descendants, David Clapp & Sons. Boston, Mass., USA; 1878, p. 210.
• "Wampanoag Canoe Passage." Dighton Historical Society, published 26 October 2014. < link > Accessed 20 December 2021.
• "Wamsutta." Wikipedia, revision of 25 August 2021. < link > Accessed 20 December 2021.
• "Weetamoo." Wikipedia, revision of 18 December 2021. < link > Accessed 20 December 2021.