Name

The name "Wampanoag" means Eastern People.

Diet

Diet primarily consisted on the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash. The Wampanoags also fished for fish, clams, and lobster.

Homes

The Wampanoags lived in wigwams. Wigwams are small houses, usually eight to ten feet high, made of wooden frames and covered with mats.

Culture

The Wampanoags were generally sedentary but moved inland in the winter and closer to the coast in spring. Boys were taught from an early age how to hunt and girls were taught how to maintain the family's wigwam and to tend to the crops. Women were responsible for a significant portion of food production.
The Wampanoags were organized into confederations led by a single sachem, or political leader. The head sachem would preside over other sachems that were in charge of their villages. Sachems were in charge of organizing trade alliances and protecting their villages. Both males and females could serve as sachems.

History

The history of the Wampanoags before colonization is poorly known. It is thought that an epidemic may have decimated the population between the years of 1616-1619. In 1620, it was the Wampanoags, including Squanto, who taught the hapless Pilgrims how to farm the land, catch fish, and survive the winter. America's first Thanksgiving occurred in November of 1620 and commenced with a huge feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags. It is important to note that many experts call into question the idea that the Wampanoags celebrated in such a way with the Pilgrims. Click here to learn more about the settlement at Plymouth and the First Thanksgiving.

As the English population grew in Massachusetts in the 17th century, the Wampanoag culture declined. The Puritans had converted thousands of Wampanoags to Christianity and thousands more had become alcoholics. Relations between Wampanoags resistant to continued English settlement and English colonists became tense and culminated in King Philip's War in 1675. Led by the Wampanoag chief Metacom, (known as Philip to the English), thousands of natives from different tribes began burning English settlements to the ground, including Providence, Rhode Island, and Springfield, Massachusetts. At first, the alliance of natives was successful in its battle, but soon, English forces overpowered them. When Metacom was captured and killed in 1676, the war was over. Only 400 Wampanoags survived the violence, many of whom were soon sold as slaves. In all, over 3,000 Native Americans died in the war. Click here to learn more about King Phillip's War

Lands

The Wampanoag inhabited parts of southern and eastern Massachusetts.