Ponkapoag
Ponkapoag , also Punkapaug, Punkapoag, or Punkapog, is the name of a Native American "praying town" settled in the western Blue Hills area of eastern Massachusetts during the colonization of the Atlantic seaboard of the United States by settlers from Britain in the 17th century. It is the name given to the winter residence (and subsequently to the tribe) of the group of Massachusett who lived at the mouth of the Neponset River near Dorchester in the summer, in what was known as Neponset Mill. Ponkapoag is now contained almost entirely by the town of Canton, Massachusetts. The name is  derived from a nearby pond south of Great Blue Hill; Ponkapoag means "shallow pond" or "a spring that bubbles from red soil". History. Ponkapoag Plantation was established in 1657 as a town parcel formed from Dorchester, Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was the second Christianized native settlement, or "Praying Town" in Massachusetts, after Natick was established in 1651. In 1654 members of the Nemasket Tribe located in the village of Cohannet in current day Bristol County were among the first Native Americans relocated to Ponkapoag by missionaries. From 1657 to his death around 1670, Quashaamit (William) served as a teaching minister  in Ponkapoag, and also deeded large parcels of land in modern day Mendon, Milford, Braintree (Quincy), and North Smithfield. Legacy. The Massachusett Tribe at Ponkapoag and the Praying Indians of Natick and Ponkapoag, two cultural heritage groups, are named for Ponkapoag.