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 Hil ...

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 i ...

, the Sachem 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 becam ...

and Watertown to the colonists, an area that covers much of what is now the Greater Boston area, including Newton, Arlington, Somerville, 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, 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,

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 Nanepash ...

, 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 and

Weetamoo Weetamoo (c. 1635–1676), also referred to as Weethao, Weetamoe, Wattimore, Namumpum, and Tatapanunum, was a Pocasset Wampanoag Native American Chief. She was the ''sunksqua'', or female sachem, of Pocasset tribe, which occupied contempora ...

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 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