The Indians

Pokanoket Tribe/Wampanoag Nation

Source: www.pokanoket.us

Wampanoag means people of the early light. Because they live on the edge of the great waters, the people of the Wampanoag nation were the first to see the light of the sun as it came up to greet them in the morning. As they awoke, they would go outside to talk with the Great Spirit and ask for wisdom for the day.

Pokanoket (pronounced Poe’-ka-no-kit)

Pokanoket is a tribe of American Indians who trace their lineage back thousands of years beyond the colonial days of the United States.  They trace their ancestry through bloodlines and oral history.  They are the people of the Massasoit.  They are Philip’s people, the people of Metacom.  They are the people who celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims. They are the people who have endured.

Pokanoket is also a Nation.  The Nation of Tribes you may have heard of referred to as Wampanoag was known to their ancestors as the Pokanoket Nation.  The Pokanoket Nation was comprised of Tribes.  Each Tribe was comprised of Bands and Villages.  The Pokanoket Tribe was the headship Tribe of the Pokanoket Nation.

Pokanoket is also their home. Prior to the time of the pilgrim’s arrival in Plymouth, the realm of the Pokanoket included portions of Rhode Island, and much of southeast Massachusetts including the surrounding islands. 

Pokanoket social organization developed in a manner that differed from neighboring groups, since Pokanoket was more socially striated and politically complex.  Archaeological excavations of Pokanoket burial sites indicate that wealth such as wampum was concentrated amongst a few individuals.  Unique to the Pokanoket Tribe were the spiritual and military elite known as the Pniese (Pineese Warrior) who protected and served the Massasoit (great leader).  They are the spiritual guardians of Pokanoket and Wampanoag.

The First Thanksgiving

On March 21st, 1621, a treaty of friendship between the English settlers and Wampanoag was reached and Massasoit Ousa Mequin granted them the 12,000 acres that became known as Plymouth Plantation. The settlers thrived with Wampanoag assistance and Massasoit and 90 of his men attended a three-day feast hosted by the new arrivals. This is the first Thanksgiving the Pokanoket shared with the Pilgrims. 
 Massasoit (Great Leader) Ousa Mequin was born in the village of Pokanoket near present-day Bristol, Rhode Island, around 1590.  Ousa Mequin means "Yellow Feather".  He was the leader of the Wampanoag Nation.  As the leader of the Nation he validated the treaty of 1621 with his signature.  It was an agreement that was never broken, and the two groups enjoyed a peaceful coexistence.