Native American Tribal Information

Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah of Massachusetts

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Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head Aquinnah of Massachusetts

The Wampanoag (Wôpanâak in the Wampanoag language; alternate spellings Wompanoag or Wampanig) are a Native American nation which currently consists of five tribes.

In 1600 the Wampanoag lived in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, as well as within a territory that encompassed current day Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and the Elizabeth Islands. Their population numbered about 12,000.

Historical Wampanoag leaders included:

Massasoit, who met the English;
Massasoit's oldest son Wamsutta (known by the English as King Alexander) who died under mysterious circumstances after visiting with English colonial administrators in Plymouth;
His second son Metacom or Metacomet (King Philip), who initiated the war against the English known as King Philip's War in retaliation for the death of his brother at the hands of the English;
Sachem Weetamoo of the Pocasset, a woman who supported Metacom and drowned crossing the Taunton River while fleeing the English;
Sachem Awashonks of the Sakonnet, a woman who at first fought the English but then changed sides; and
Annawan, a war leader.