Weetamoo (chief)
Weetamoo was a prominent sachem of the Pocasset tribe, located in what is now southwestern Massachusetts. She played a significant role during King Philip's War, which began in June 1675, a conflict driven by tensions between Native American tribes and English settlers. Unlike many leaders at the time, Weetamoo chose to side with Metacomet, known as King Philip, the sachem of the Wampanoag, demonstrating her commitment to resistance against colonial encroachment. She provided crucial support by supplying canoes to facilitate the escape of Metacomet's people from advancing English forces.
During the war, Weetamoo's band often found themselves in a state of flight, seeking refuge with various allied tribes, including the Narragansett. She married Quinnapin, a Narragansett sachem, further solidifying alliances among the tribes. Tragically, in August 1676, Weetamoo and her band were ambushed near the Taunton River, leading to her drowning while attempting to escape. Following her death, her head was displayed on a pole, a grim testament to the brutal realities of the war. Weetamoo's legacy is remembered as a symbol of resistance and resilience in the face of colonial aggression.
Weetamoo (chief)
Category: Tribal chief
Tribal affiliation: Pocasset, a branch of the Wampanoag
Significance: Weetamoo was a “squaw sachem,” or female chief; such chiefs were sometimes found among the Algonquian peoples of New England
Weetamoo was sachem of the Pocasset, whose territory lay east of Mt. Hope Bay in southwestern Massachusetts. When King Philip’s War broke out in June, 1675, she resisted the urging of English emissaries to remain neutral and joined Metacomet (King Philip), sachem of the Wampanoag, with whom the Pocasset were affiliated. She provided canoes that allowed Metacomet’s people to escape an English force advancing into Mt. Hope Peninsula. Her band spent much of the war in flight, sometimes in the Narragansett country, sometimes with Metacomet’s forces. During King Philip's War she married the Narragansett sachem Quinnapin. In August, 1676, her band was taken by surprise on the bank of the Taunton River, near Taunton, Massachusetts, and Weetamoo drowned while trying to escape across the river on a raft. Her head was cut off and set on a pole in Taunton.
