Agawam (tribe)
Encyclopedia
The Agawam tribe was a Native American
tribe in New England
at the arrival of the English colonists in the early 17th century. Decimated by pestilence shortly before the English colonization and fearing attacks from their hereditary enemies among the tribes of Maine, they invited the English to amalgamate with them on their tribal territory. Colonial law promulgated by the General Court of Massachusetts protected them, their land rights and their crops. The English defended them against further attacks. They had an open invitation to enter Puritan households. Often a small number would show up as dinner guests and were fed. By the time of King Philip's War
in 1675 they had been assimilated. They played no part in the war.
to the Merrimack River
, covering the coastal region of the current eastern Essex County
, a country of rivers, bays, barrier islands, necks and wetlands, location of Great Marsh, Plum Island
and Newburyport Harbor. A number of place names were anglicised from the territorial name: Agawam and Squam from asquam, Inland the edge of their territory went from North Andover to Middleton
, and from there to the Danvers River, which was the border with the Naumkeag tribe
of Salem, Massachusetts
.
Varieties of the English name were used also for small tribes near Springfield, Massachusetts
and Wareham, Massachusetts
. There is no evidence that they were connected in any way to the Essex County Agawam; in fact, the former were of the Pacomtuc and the latter of the Wampanoag. The large variety of English variants indicates an origin from different endonyms, such as "the fish-curing place." These natives did participate in King Phillip's War, causing some loss of life among the colonials with whom they formerly resided in peace.
and Canada
from Nova Scotia
to South Carolina
spoke Eastern Algonquian, a language group belonging to the Algonquian
family, but separated from the rest of it by the Appalachian mountains
. Eastern Algonquian included Massachusett
, spoken on the coast of Massachusetts
. The latter family was divided into more closely related languages, or dialects, one of which was that of the Agawam of the North Shore
.
, or chief. He had additional chiefs to assist him. The basis on which the position of sachem was defined was economic. He personally was considered to own all the lands used for common food gathering and production. He distributed the use of these to groups of families under sub-chiefs at his discretion, an arrangement that facilitated the disposal of native lands to the English by negotiation with a single sachem, who may not have understood that the purchased land was being permanently removed from the commons of the tribe. The sachems reigning at the time entered history with the arrival of the English in the early 17th century. The sachem of the Agawam was Masconomet
.
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
tribe in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
at the arrival of the English colonists in the early 17th century. Decimated by pestilence shortly before the English colonization and fearing attacks from their hereditary enemies among the tribes of Maine, they invited the English to amalgamate with them on their tribal territory. Colonial law promulgated by the General Court of Massachusetts protected them, their land rights and their crops. The English defended them against further attacks. They had an open invitation to enter Puritan households. Often a small number would show up as dinner guests and were fed. By the time of King Philip's War
King Philip's War
King Philip's War, sometimes called Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, or Metacom's Rebellion, was an armed conflict between Native American inhabitants of present-day southern New England and English colonists and their Native American allies in 1675–76. The war is named after the main leader of the...
in 1675 they had been assimilated. They played no part in the war.
Name
The name is an anglicization of the native name assigned to the territory of a sovereign state consisting of the tribe. The English named the tribes after their native place names; therefore it is likely that the natives did also; i.e., Agawam is an English exonym based on a native endonym. The territory is written as Wonnesquamsauke, from wonne, "pleasant," asquam, "water" and auke, "place." The state extended from Cape AnnCape Ann
Cape Ann is a rocky cape in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. The cape is located approximately 30 miles northeast of Boston and forms the northern edge of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester, and the towns of Essex, Manchester-by-the-Sea, and...
to the Merrimack River
Merrimack River
The Merrimack River is a river in the northeastern United States. It rises at the confluence of the Pemigewasset and Winnipesaukee rivers in Franklin, New Hampshire, flows southward into Massachusetts, and then flows northeast until it empties into the Atlantic Ocean at Newburyport...
, covering the coastal region of the current eastern Essex County
Essex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Parker River National Wildlife Refuge* Salem Maritime National Historic Site* Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site* Thacher Island National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
, a country of rivers, bays, barrier islands, necks and wetlands, location of Great Marsh, Plum Island
Plum Island, Massachusetts
Plum Island is a small village on the island of the same name in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States.Technically it is a precinct in the town of Newbury. Plum Island is the Easternmost of three precincts dividing the town. The other two precincts are Old Town and Byfield, the westernmost...
and Newburyport Harbor. A number of place names were anglicised from the territorial name: Agawam and Squam from asquam, Inland the edge of their territory went from North Andover to Middleton
Middleton, Massachusetts
Middleton is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,987 at the 2010 census.- History :Middleton was first settled in 1659 and was officially incorporated in 1728. Prior to 1728 it was considered a part of Salem, and contains territory previously within the...
, and from there to the Danvers River, which was the border with the Naumkeag tribe
Naumkeag people
The Naumkeag tribe were a Native American people that inhabited the area now part of northeastern Massachusetts. The tribe maintained its independence even as it acted as part of the Massachusett Confederacy of tribes....
of Salem, Massachusetts
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
.
Varieties of the English name were used also for small tribes near Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
and Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham, Massachusetts
Wareham is a town located in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 20,335, with an estimated 2008 population of 21,221....
. There is no evidence that they were connected in any way to the Essex County Agawam; in fact, the former were of the Pacomtuc and the latter of the Wampanoag. The large variety of English variants indicates an origin from different endonyms, such as "the fish-curing place." These natives did participate in King Phillip's War, causing some loss of life among the colonials with whom they formerly resided in peace.
Language
All the natives of the east coast of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
to South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
spoke Eastern Algonquian, a language group belonging to the Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
family, but separated from the rest of it by the Appalachian mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. Eastern Algonquian included Massachusett
Massachusett
The Massachusett are a tribe of Native Americans who lived in areas surrounding Massachusetts Bay in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in particular present-day Greater Boston; they spoke the Massachusett language...
, spoken on the coast of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. The latter family was divided into more closely related languages, or dialects, one of which was that of the Agawam of the North Shore
North Shore (Massachusetts)
The North Shore is a region in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, loosely defined as the coastal area between Boston and New Hampshire. The region is made up both of a rocky coastline, dotted with marshes and wetlands, as well as several beaches and natural harbors. The North Shore is an important...
.
Society
Each Algonquian language marks the range of a sovereign state, or tribe, ruled by a hereditaty sachemSachem
A sachem[p] or sagamore is a paramount chief among the Algonquians or other northeast American tribes. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages...
, or chief. He had additional chiefs to assist him. The basis on which the position of sachem was defined was economic. He personally was considered to own all the lands used for common food gathering and production. He distributed the use of these to groups of families under sub-chiefs at his discretion, an arrangement that facilitated the disposal of native lands to the English by negotiation with a single sachem, who may not have understood that the purchased land was being permanently removed from the commons of the tribe. The sachems reigning at the time entered history with the arrival of the English in the early 17th century. The sachem of the Agawam was Masconomet
Chief Masconomet
Masconomet, spelled many different ways in colonial deeds, was sagamore or chief of the Agawam tribe among the Algonquian peoples during the time of the English colonization of the Americas...
.