Wampanoag Nation

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-Originally befriended (kind of) Massachusetts when he was first born in Plymouth colony. Their friendship was mutually beneficial. Massachusetts didn't understand how to farm and take care of himself in the New World and Wampanoag wanted to use the young colony to give him an edge against his rivals.
-The ten years before Massachusetts' birth had been devastating for Wompanoag. Wars with his neighbors and the loss of land to Mi'kmaq combined with horrible plagues (He lost around 75% of his population from the three plagues) had left him very weak. Pequot had also invaded his lands from the south and Narragansett (who was the most powerful nation in the region at the time) was bullying him and forcing the weakened nation to pay him tribute. Wampanoag befriended Massachusetts in the hopes that the young colony would help him against Narragansett.
-Mi'kmaq had learned English from fishermen over the past hundred years are so. He had no problem communicating with Massachusetts much to the infant colony's shock.
-Wampanoag taught Massachusetts how to grow crops and essential tools of survival. Despite his aid and several parallels in their culture, Massachusetts was wary of him and even the friendliest members of their culture. Massachusetts had basically been taught from watching/listening to England that the English were the best and to look down on others who weren't like them. (England during his colonial pursuits wasn't exactly the most respectful of indigenous populations, but that was kind of the trend for European colonization through out the world.)
-When Wampanoag agreed to give Massachusetts land, he didn't understand that the English concept of owning land was so very different from the Indian Nations' ways of sharing land. At first this wasn't an issue since baby Massachusetts was so little and awkward he didn't seem like he could ever be a real threat.
-Wampanoag showed up at Massachusetts' Thanksgiving celebration uninvited, actually. It was kind of a shock to Massachusetts but he couldn't just turn the Indian Nation away so they wound up celebrating together.
-Wampanoag's friendship with Massachusetts was threatening to Narragansett (as Wampanoag had hoped) and sent a threat to Massachusetts (arrows in snake skin story. Massachusetts sent back bullets/gunpowder in the snake skin as his response) Luckily Narragansett had to deal with Pequot and Mohawk attacking him so he didn't get the chance to attack the infant colony until Massachusetts had grown strong enough to pose a threat. When Narragansett attacked Wampanoag in 1623, Massachusetts threatened him and he backed off like how Wampanoag had hoped.
-Wampanoag and Massachusetts had good relations despite the political and power changes until 1661ish. Wampanoag liked much of Massachusetts' culture although he wished Massachusetts could be more tolerant of his traditions. He'd come to accept Massachusetts wasn't one for tolerance, though, so he'd learned to just put up with the colony's quirks.
-King Philip's War was partially caused by Alexander (grand sachem Wamsutta) dying mysteriously after visiting the Plymouth colony. Massachusetts thought he died of a fever, but there is a great deal of evidence that support his leaders deciding to poison the grand sachem. Alexander was Philip's (Metacomet) big brother. After this event and Philip became the next grand sachem, Wampanoag's attitude towards Massachusetts began to change.
-King Philip sought to stop Massachusetts from expanding any further and started to plot against the colony by enlisting outside aid. He knew Wampanoag was too weak to fight the now powerful Massachusetts alone. Many of Wampanoag's people betrayed King Philip and went to tell Massachusetts about what he was planning. Tension between Massachusetts and Wampanoag began to drastically increase.
-King Philip's War (1675-1676) Lots of details later. I don't want to get into it too much right now.
Category:Indian Nations