Squaw Sachem of Mistick (c. 1590-1650 or 1667) was a prominent leader of a
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 ...
tribe who deeded large tracts of land in eastern Massachusetts to early colonial settlers.
Squaw Sachem was the widow of
Nanepashemet
Nanepashemet (died 1619) was a sachem and ''bashabe'' or great leader of the Pawtucket Confederation of Abenaki peoples in present-day New England before the landing of the Pilgrims. He was a leader of Native peoples over a large part of what is ...
, the
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 ...
of the Pawtucket Confederation of Indian tribes, who died in 1619. Her given name is unknown and she was known in official deeds as the "Squaw Sachem." Squaw Sachem ruled the Pawtucket Confederation lands aggressively and capably after Nanepashmet's death. Around 1635, along with several other Native Americans, she deeded land in
Concord, Massachusetts
Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. At the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the conflu ...
to colonists, and by that time she had remarried to a tribal priest, Wompachowet (also known as Webcowit or Webcowet).
[Shattuck, Lemuel]
''History of the Town of Concord, Mass.''
(Boston, 1835) In 1639 she deeded the land of what was then
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
and
Watertown Watertown may refer to:
Places in China
In China, a water town is a type of ancient scenic town known for its waterways.
Places in the United States
*Watertown, Connecticut, a New England town
**Watertown (CDP), Connecticut, the central village ...
to the colonists, an area that covers much of what is now the Greater Boston area, including
Newton
Newton most commonly refers to:
* Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist
* Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton
Newton may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film
* Newton ( ...
,
Arlington,
Somerville
Somerville may refer to:
*Somerville College, Oxford, a constituent college of the University of Oxford
Places
*Somerville, Victoria, Australia
* Somerville, Western Australia, a suburb of Kalgoorlie, Australia
* Somerville, New Zealand, a subur ...
,
Malden, and
Charlestown. She lived her last years on the west side of the
Mystic Lakes
The Mystic Lakes, consisting of Upper Mystic Lake and Lower Mystic Lake, are closely linked bodies of water in the northwestern suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts.
The lakes lie at an elevation of 1 meter above sea level, within the towns of Winch ...
near what is now
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...
, where she died sometime between 1650 and 1667. She is remembered on the
Boston Women's Heritage Trail
The Boston Women's Heritage Trail is a series of walking tours in Boston, Massachusetts, leading past sites important to Boston women's history. The tours wind through several neighborhoods, including the Back Bay and Beacon Hill, commemorating w ...
. Her sons,
Wonohaquaham
Wonohaquaham also known as Sagamore John was a Native American leader who was a Pawtucket Confederation Sachem when English began to settle in the area.
Early life
Wonohaquaham was the oldest son of Nanepashemet and the Squaw Sachem of Mistick. A ...
,
Montowampate
Montowampate (1609–1633), was the Sachem of the Naumkeag or Pawtucket in the area of present day Saugus, Massachusetts at the time of the Puritan Great Migration. The colonists called him Sagamore James. He was one of three sons of Nanepasheme ...
, and
Wenepoykin
Wenepoykin (1616–1684) also known as Winnepurkett, Sagamore George, George No Nose, and George Rumney Marsh was a Native American leader who was the Sachem of the Naumkeag people when English began to settle in the area.
Early life
Wenepoykin w ...
were tribal leaders as well. She is sometimes confused with other contemporary Squaw Sachems in the region, including
Awashonks
Awashonks (also spelled Awashunckes, Awashunkes or Awasoncks) was a saunkskwa, a female sachem ( chief) of the Sakonnet (also spelled Saconet) tribe in Rhode Island. She lived near the southern edge of the Plymouth Colony on Patuxet homelands, not ...
and
Weetamoo
Weetamoo (c. 1635–1676), also referred to as Weethao, Weetamoe, Wattimore, Namumpum, and Tatapanunum, was a Pocasset, Massachusetts, Pocasset Wampanoag people, Wampanoag Native Americans in the United States, Native American Chief. She was ...
.
Controversy
Using the Squaw Sachem of Mistick name or likeness has been
protested by individuals of surrounding tribes as well as multiple social justice groups. There has been an ongoing battle (20+ years) to get rid of the use of the Sachem name and likeness as a mascot or logo in the surrounding towns. In 2020, the Sachem was removed as the mascot of the
Winchester, Massachusetts
Winchester is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, located 8.2 miles (13.2 km) north of downtown Boston as part of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. It is also one of the List of Massachusetts locations by per capita income, wealt ...
public schools. Defenders of mascots often state their intention to honor Native Americans by referring to positive traits, such as fighting spirit and their being strong, brave, stoic, dedicated, and proud; opponents see these traits as being based upon stereotypes of Native Americans as savages.
References
{{reflist
1590s births
17th-century deaths
16th-century Native Americans
16th-century Native American women
17th-century Native Americans
17th-century Native American women
Native American leaders
Female Native American leaders
Massachusett people
Native American people from Massachusetts
Native American history of Massachusetts
People of colonial Massachusetts
Pre-statehood history of Massachusetts