Pessicus (also known as Canonicus II and Mosomp and Maussup and Quissucquansh and Sucquans and Wemosit) (c. 1623–1676) was a

Narragansett Indian The Narragansett people are an Algonquian American Indian tribe from Rhode Island. Today, Narragansett people are enrolled in the federally recognized Narragansett Indian Tribe. They gained federal recognition in 1983. The tribe was nearly lan ...

leader who was killed 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 ...

. Pessicus was born around 1623 to Mascus and had an older brother

Miantonomo Miantonomoh (1600? – August 1643), also spelled Miantonomo, Miantonomah or Miantonomi, was a chief of the Narragansett people of New England Indians. Biography He was a nephew of the Narragansett grand sachem, Canonicus (died 1647), with whom he ...

. In 1643 after the

Mohegan The Mohegan are an Algonquian Native American tribe historically based in present-day Connecticut. Today the majority of the people are associated with the Mohegan Indian Tribe, a federally recognized tribe living on a reservation in the east ...

s killed Miantonomo, Pessicus became the Narragansetts' co-

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 ...

along with his uncle Canonicus, and the next year the tribe submitted to the authority of the British crown. Despite opposition from the Commissioners of the United Colonies Canonicus and Pessicus sought to retaliate against the Mohegan tribe for the death of Miantonomo. In 1647 Pessicus became the sole sachem of the Narragansetts after Canonicus' death, although

Ninigret Ninigret (also known as Juanemo according to Roger Williams) (c. 1610 This source confirms 1662 as the date of his land sales.-1677 This source suggests a date of 1667 for his land sales and a 1647 war against the Mohegans.) was a sachem of the ea ...

weakened his authority. At the outbreak of King Philip's War Pessicus sought a peaceful resolution, but eventually fled Narragansett territory in the spring of 1676 and the Mohawks killed him near

Piscataqua Piscataqua, believed to be an Abenaki word meaning ''rapid waters'', may refer to: * Piscataqua River, a fast-moving estuarine river dividing coastal New Hampshire and Maine in the United States * Piscataqua River (Presumpscot River), a tributary ...

shortly later, by June of that year.Glen LaFantasie, The Correspondence of Roger Williams, 237 The village of Moosup in the town of Plainfield, Connecticut, and the river and associated river valley that flows from Rhode Island to the Quinnebaug River in CT, are named after Maussup.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tantamous 1623 births 1676 deaths 17th-century Native Americans Native American leaders Pre-statehood history of Rhode Island People of colonial Rhode Island King Philip's War Narragansett people Native American history of Rhode Island