Canonicus was a Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 chief of the Narragansett

Narragansett (tribe)

The Narragansett tribe are an Algonquian Native American tribe from Rhode Island. In 1983 they regained federal recognition as the Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island. In 2009, the United States Supreme Court ruled against their request that the Department of Interior take land into trust...

. He was a firm friend of English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 settlers.

Biography

Canonicus was born around 1565. He was chief of the Narragansett tribe when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth

Plimoth Plantation

Plimoth Plantation is a living museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts that shows the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by English colonists, some of whom later became known as Pilgrims. They were among the first people who emigrated to America to avoid religious...

, and one of the first with whom they had dealings. In 1622, he was inclined to wage war against the colony. This was a serious matter, since he could muster about 3,000 warriors. As an intimation of his mood, he sent to the governor a bundle of arrows tied with a snake skin. The skin was filled with powder and bullets and returned. Negotiations followed this defiant answer, and peace was established outlasting the life of Canonicus.

When Roger Williams

Roger Williams (theologian)

Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...

 and his company felt constrained to withdraw from Massachusetts Bay Colony

Massachusetts Bay Colony

The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...

, they sought refuge at Narragansett, where Canonicus made them welcome. In 1636, he gave Williams the large tract of land which became the first nucleus of the colony of Providence Plantation. In 1637, Canonicus was largely responsible for the Narragansetts' decision to side with the English during the Pequot War

Pequot War

The Pequot War was an armed conflict between 1634–1638 between the Pequot tribe against an alliance of the Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, and Saybrook colonies who were aided by their Native American allies . Hundreds were killed; hundreds more were captured and sold into slavery to the West Indies. ...

.

Canonicus was succeeded by his nephew Miantonomoh

Miantonomoh

Miantonomoh , also spelled Miantonomo, Miantonomah or Miantonomi, was a chief of the Narragansett tribe of New England Indians, nephew of their grand sachem, Canonicus...

; he returned to power after Miantonomoh was killed in 1643.
On April 19, 1644, Canonicus made a formal treaty acknowledging the sovereignty of Britain

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

. The influence of his counsels lasted for many years after his death, and the Narragansett tribe maintained peaceful relations with the English until 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.

Legacy

• Four United States Navy
  United States Navy
  The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
  
   ships have been named USS Canonicus
  USS Canonicus
  Four ships of the United States Navy have been named Canonicus for Canonicus, a chief of the Narragansett Indians, who befriended Roger Williams, and presented him with a large tract of land for the Rhode Island colony....
  
  .
• Camp Canonicus, an American Baptist
  American Baptist Churches USA
  The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its...
  
   camp in Exeter, Rhode Island
  Exeter, Rhode Island
  Exeter is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. Exeter extends east from the Connecticut border to the town of North Kingstown. It is bordered to the north by West Greenwich and East Greenwich, and to the south by Hopkinton, Richmond and South Kingstown. Exeter's postal code...
  
  .
• There is an avenue named after Canonicus in Newport
  Newport, Rhode Island
  Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
  
  , Rhode Island.
• The name of Conanicut Island
  Conanicut Island
  Conanicut Island is the second largest island in Narragansett Bay, in the state of Rhode Island. It is connected on the east to Newport, Rhode Island, on Aquidneck Island by the Claiborne Pell Bridge, commonly known as the Newport Bridge, and on the west to North Kingstown, Rhode Island, on the...
  
  .

External links

• Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships: Canonicus (ship namesake paragraph)