Black James (before 1640-circa 1686) (also known as Wullumahchein) was a

Nipmuc The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian language. Their historic territory Nippenet, "the freshwater pond place," is in central Massachusetts and nearby part ...

constable and spiritual leader of the Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck at the Chaubunagungamaug Reservation in colonial Massachusetts and Connecticut.

Daniel Gookin Major-General Danyell “Daniel” Gookin (1612 – 19 March 1687) was a Munster colonist, settler of Virginia and Massachusetts, and a writer on the subject of American Indians. Early life He was born, perhaps in County Cork, Ireland, in the ...

appointed James to be a constable for the

praying towns Praying towns were a settlements established by English colonial governments in New England from 1646 to 1675 in an effort to convert local Native Americans to Christianity. The Native people who moved into these towns were known as Praying I ...

after he had become a Christian. In 1675, James signed a treaty agreeing not to assist King Philip, but may have supported him during

King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between indigenous inhabitants of New England and New England coloni ...

. After the War, Black James deeded various parcels of land to settlers in Nipmuc country including at Quantisset and Maanexit in what is now eastern Connecticut near Rhode Island. His dying speech was recorded by Rev.

Daniel Takawambait Daniel Takawambait (c. 1652-1716) (also spelled Takawombait or Tokonwonpat or Takawambpas or Tookumwombait or Tokkohwompait or Takawombpait and sometimes Daniel of Natick) was likely the first ordained Native American Christian pastor in North Am ...

and later published and by 1686 a deed was signed by his heirs indicating that Black James was deceased, but another Indian used the name "Black James" until 1708."Summary under the Criteria and Evidence for Proposed Finding Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians: Prepared in response to a petition submitted to the Secretary of the Interior for Federal Acknowledgment that this group exists as an Indian tribe" (2001)p. 34 (citing Reese 1980, p. 28) https://www.bia.gov/sites/bia.gov/files/assets/as-ia/ofa/petition/069B_wbdnip_MA/069b_pf.pdf

References

{{reflist 17th-century Native Americans Native American leaders Pre-statehood history of Massachusetts People of colonial Massachusetts Native American people from Massachusetts Native American history of Massachusetts Nipmuc Religious figures of the indigenous peoples of North America