Wompatuck (ca. 1627 - 1669), also spelled Wampatuck, was

sachem Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Al ...

, or paramount chief, of the Mattakeesett band of

Massachusett The Massachusett were a Native American tribe from the region in and around present-day Greater Boston in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name comes from the Massachusett language term for "At the Great Hill," referring to the Blue Hills ...

Indians.

Names

Wompatuck was also known as Wampatuck, Josias Wampatuck, and Josiah Sagamore. ''Wampatuck'' translates to mean "snow goose" in the

Wampanoag language The Massachusett dialects, as well as all the Eastern Algonquian languages#Southern New England Algonquian (SNEA), Southern New England Algonquian (SNEA) languages, could be dialects of a common SNEA language just as Danish, Swedish and Norwegian a ...

Family

Wampatuck's father was the sachem

Chikataubut Chickatawbut (died 1633; also known as Cicatabut and possibly as Oktabiest before 1622) was the sachem, or leader, of a large group of indigenous people known as the Massachusett tribe in what is now eastern Massachusetts, United States, during th ...

. After Chikataubut died of smallpox in 1633, Wompatuck's uncle,

Cutshamekin Cutshamekin (died in 1654) (also spelled Kitchamakin, Kuchamakin, or Cutshumaquin) was a Native American leader, who was a sachem of the Massachusett tribe based along the Neponset River and Great Blue Hill in what is now Dorchester, Massachusett ...

succeeded as sachem and helped to raise Wompatuck.

Career

After Cutshamekin died around 1655, Wompatuck succeeded him and likewise became an early Native American ally of British colonists. Like his father and uncle, he sold the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

colonists the land upon which the city of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

, was established in 1629 and other surrounding towns were established. After a harsh attack on his tribe by the Haudenosaunee (or

Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...

) in 1665, Wompatuck organized a great retaliatory expedition, involving several Massachusett tribes with 600 or 700 warriors, against Mohawk's capital, Gandaouaguè. Returning to Massachusetts, his column was ambushed and he was slain in 1669 when he led a force of his warriors in an attack upon the

Mohawks The Mohawk people ( moh, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka) are the most easterly section of the Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois Confederacy. They are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous people of North America ...

. Wompatuck's son,

Charles Josias Wampatuck Charles Josias Wampatuck (died after 1695) was a sachem of the Massachusett The Massachusett were a Native American tribe from the region in and around present-day Greater Boston in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name comes from the Ma ...

, became sachem after his death.Jim Rose
"Wompatuck Victim of Mohawk War"
friendsofwompatuck.org. Accessed December 28, 2022.

Namesakes

Two

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

ships – the armed

tug A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...

, in commission from 1898 to 1931, and the

harbor A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

tug , later ''YTB-337'', in commission from 1942 to 1946 – have been named for Wompatuck.

Wompatuck State Park Wompatuck State Park is a state-owned, public recreation area of about in size located primarily in the town of Hingham with portions in the neighboring towns of Cohasset, Norwell, and Scituate, Massachusetts, in the United States. In additi ...

located in

Hingham, Massachusetts Hingham ( ) is a town in metropolitan Greater Boston on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts in northern Plymouth County. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location on B ...

is also named after Wompatuck.

Notes

References

*
Department of the Navy Naval Historical Center ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' Wampatuck
(ship namesake paragraph) {{DEFAULTSORT:Wompatuck Native American leaders 1669 deaths Date of death missing Massachusett people Native American history of Massachusetts Native American people from Massachusetts 1620s births Date of birth unknown