PEOPLE OF THE DAWN

The Wampanoag

Basic Facts

The Wampanoag lived in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

First contact with them was around of the beginning of the 17th Century.

Right before 1620 there was a disease outbreak that nearly destroyed them.

The Wampanoag lived in Wetus.

Lifestyle

The Wampanoag were Semi-sedentary.

They mainly ate the three sisters and fish or game.

There was some polygamy, but most were monogamists.

They spoke the Massachusett-Wampanoag language.

Women

Women could control property.

New couples lived with the woman’s family.

Women “elders” could be a chief or sachem.

Young girls gathered food and worked in the fields.

Men

Men had most of the political, tribe interaction, and warfare roles.

Men did most of the hunting.

King Philip’s War

King Philip’s War was a war between the Wampanoag and the colonists.

It was from 1675 to 1676.

Most of the male survivors became slaves and were sent to the West Indies.

Women and children became slaves in New England.

King Philip ( Chief Metacomet) was the one who declared war.

Wampanoag Clothing

Women wore deerskin skirts.

Leggings were worn in cool weather by both men and women.

Moccasins were worn mainly during cold weather.

Wampanoag men and women would also decorate their bodies.

The Wampanoag Today

Currently the Wampanoag speak English.

In 1993 a language revival project was started.

Today their population is about 3,000.

Fun Facts

It is thought that at one point their population was 12,000.

There are multiple Wampanoag tribes, like the Pocasset and the Assonet.

Wampanoag means “Easterners” or “People of the Dawn”.

Works Cited

“Wampanoag people.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia 1 Dec. 2013

<http://en.wikipedia.org> 1 Dec. 2013. Web.“Wampanoag Indians.” Indians.org 2013.

<http://www.indians.org> 1 Dec. 2013. Web.“What to Where?.” Plimoth Plantation 2013.

<http://www.plimoth.org> 2 Dec. 2013. Web.