BONUS: An Unfortunate Undoing - The Narragansett & Pokanoket People

Hello and welcome to the story of Rhode Island. The Podcast that tells you the story of Rhode Island’s fascinating history. In part 1 of this two part bonus episode we watched the Narragansett and Pokanoket tribes attempt to increase their power by creating alliances with the English colonists. Unfortunately, as we’re about to see in part 2, those alliances will not keep the indigenous people of Rhode Island on good terms with the English forever. Sitting on the eastern shore of the Pawcatuck River is a small band of Pequot native Americans. While a significant portion of their tribe was killed during the Pequot War, this small group of non combatants was spared and have taken up refuge with the Narragansett tribe. More specifically, they’re living with one of the Narragansett’s tributary tribes, the Niantics. Although the location of their settlement is now part of the southwestern corner of Rhode Island, during the summer of 1639 it’s still very much part of Narragansett territory. But that’s not how Connecticut sees it. To them, this land is part of Pequot Country, land that they plan to claim as their own. As the Pequot people meander throughout their village on the Pawcatuck River they suddenly see a force of Connecticut troops heading their way. Leading them is the infamous Captain John Mason, the man who ordered English soldiers to burn the Pequot’s Fort back in 1637, killing hundreds of innocent women and children. A feeling of terror immediately floods the Pequot people so they begin heading for the woods. Just as the eldest members of their tribe exits the village, Captain Mason and 40 English soldiers sets fire to their wigwams. But the English troops are not alone. Joining them are 100 Mohegan warriors led by their Sachem, Uncas un-cas, a man who is now the biggest rival of the Narragansetts Sachem, Miantonomi. For the past couple of years, Connecticut has treated Uncas far better than they have treated Miantonomi. In Miantonomi, Connecticut sees a competitor, somebody who will prevent their colony from expanding into Pequot Country. And they’re correct, Miantonomi certainly had every intention of expanding his tribe’s territory into Pequot Country after the war, enabling them to grow their tributary network and increase their power as well. But Connecticut has prevented that from happening by allowing Uncas and the Mohegans to occupy this land instead, hoping that Uncas will eventually hand the land over to Connecticut in return for their Colony’s protection. This type of mistreatment from the English is quickly teaching the Narragansetts that they do not have the type of relationship with the English that they thought they had. It’s becoming all too clear that the English only have one goal in mind, expanding their borders at all costs. Over time this mission will prove to be more and more detrimental to the Narragansett people and they will eventually realize that the only way to salvage their land and way of life is by teaming up with their Pokanoket rivals to the east. The story of the Narragansett and Pokanoket people fighting to protect their way of life is what we’ll cover in part 2 of this 2 part bonus episode of the Story of Rhode Island Podcast.

Intro Music

In the midst of burning down wigwams on the eastern shores of the Pawcatuck River, the Mohegan warriors and Connecticut troops suddenly stop when they see a group of 60 Niantic warriors come flying out of the woods. With their clubs and tomahawks being waved over their heads and violent war cries coming from their mouths, a horrific scene quickly unfolds. As Mohegan and Niantic warriors begin attacking each other, Captain Mason energetically attempts to rally his soldiers. After managing to jockey them into position, Mason begins marching his troops into the chaotic fighting going on all around him. The Niantic warriors' fear of the English convinces them to retreat back into the woods but not before 7 of their men are taken prisoner. With the fighting now over and the sun about to set, the Mohegan warriors and Connecticut troops decide to stay the night, agreeing to destroy the rest of the village in the morning. But when the morning finally comes, they see 300 Narragansett warriors standing on a small hill in the distance. Although the sun shining brightly behind them darkens the front of their bodies and prevents Uncas from seeing their faces, the desires of the Narragansett warriors are made all too obvious by the war clubs in their hands. Uncas knows that the men standing atop the hill have been anxious to get revenge on him ever since he’s received the spoils of war that were meant for their people. The Mohegan Sachem sits there breathing heavily not sure exactly what to do. He knows any second now a flood of Narragansett warriors might be heading his way. Luckily for Uncas, Captain Mason orders his troops to rise and gets them ready for battle. Without hesitation, the soldiers grab their rifles and begin forming a firing line. With their weapons pointed squarely at their opposition and the Narragansetts clearly anxious for payback, an uneasy silence fills the air, both sides waiting for the other to make a first move. But before long the Narragansett warriors can be seen walking away. While they are more than willing to attack Uncas and his men they are all too familiar with the English soldiers' military strength and know first hand what happens to those who dare to challenge their might. With this in mind, the Narragansetts decide that it's best to not risk the survival of their entire tribe in order to save one minor village. The warriors return home and any eruption of violence between the Narragansetts and the English is avoided, at least for now.

It’s the summer of 1643 and an enraged Miantonomi can be seen running through the Connecticut woods. His heart beats fast as his eyes search feverishly for Uncas. After learning about how Uncas attacked one of his tributary tribes, Miantonomi has had enough of his rival and decided it’s time for Uncas to die. Following behind him are 1,000 warriors who are all too eager to help their Sachem achieve his mission. It’s been 4 years since the incident on the Pawcatuck River and life has grown even more frustrating for Miantonomi. Not only has Connecticut prevented his tribe from receiving any of the Pequot Lands that were promised to him after the war but he’s now also having to deal with an increasingly hostile Massachusetts as well. It started about 3 years ago in September of 1640 when Massachusetts summoned Miantonomi to Boston after hearing that he was attempting to ally his tribe with the Mohawks to the west and lead a rebellion against the English. There was some authenticity in these rumors as Miantonomi was hoping to develop an alliance with the Mohawks but not a violent one. Instead he hoped to create an institutional counterweight that would help to once again put the natives on an equal playing field with the English. But that’s not how the English saw it so Miantonomi was forced to prove his innocence. The Narragansett Sachem managed to provide satisfactory answers to the Massachusetts magistrates but as rumors continued to reappear he found himself being summoned back to Boston again and again. Each time he managed to wiggle himself out of any trouble but it led Massachusetts and Connecticut to no longer trust the Narragansetts. With these thoughts weighing heavily on the Sachem’s mind, he eventually spots Uncas warriors in the distance. But there’s more than just those thoughts that are weighing heavily on Miantonomi. In a more literal sense, he can also feel the weight of the English armor that he’s decided to wear into battle. The armor came from a man named Samuel Gorton, an English colonist originally from Massachusetts who recently purchased a large plot of land in Narragansett territory. HIs land acquisition was massive as it spanned across 95 square miles, encompassing the present day towns of Warwick, West Warwick, and Coventry. Gorton isn’t the first English colonists to have purchased land in Narragansett territory as Miantonomi’s friend Roger Williams has had a settlement on the northern tip of Narragansett Bay for years now and another group of religious outcasts also purchased all of Aquidneck Island back in 1638. But Gorton’s purchase has by far stirred up the most controversy. For the past few months, Massachusetts has been claiming that Miantonomi illegally sold the land to Gorton and that the land sale is invalid. Not only are their arguments erroneous but they’re also directly attacking Miantonomi’s sovereignty to do with his tribe’s land as he wants. But The Narragansett Sachem doesn’t have time to think about that right now as there are far more important issues to deal with, like killing Uncas. While taking a minute to catch his breath before leading his warriors into battle, Miantonomi notices that he’s more exhausted than usual. He considers removing the armor from his body but decides to keep it on, hoping that it’ll keep him safe. Then, he signals his warriors forward and they unleash a powerful attack on Uncas and his warriors. As they run at the Mohegans while swinging their war clubs, the sounds of their war cries can be heard echoing throughout the forest. With a violent melee going on all around him, Miantonomi scans his surroundings in search of Uncas. But as he does he notices that the Mohegan warriors are beginning to get the best of his men and before long he finds himself surrounded. He attempts to make a run for it but with the English armor slowing him down he’s quickly captured by Uncas men. The fighting comes to an abrupt end and the Mohegans unexpectedly come out victorious. When one of the Mohegan warriors asks Uncas what they should do with Miantonomi, the Mohegan Sachem says it’s best for the English to decide. The fate of Miantonomi now lay in the hands of the people who have grown to see him as a threat to the safety of their colonies.

Shortly after the battle, in August of 1643, Miantonomi, the great Sachem of the Narragansetts, is executed. The leaders of the English colonies, excluding the religious outcasts living around Narragansett Bay, unanimously agreed with the decision to have Miantonomi killed. Their decision created a strong message; any Sachem who dared to challenge or threaten the power of the English colonies would be considered an enemy and dealt with accordingly. By no longer having Miantonomi presence acting as a North Star the unity of the Narragansett tribe begins to erode. Things only get worse in 1647 when their tribe’s other beloved Sachem, Canonicus, passes away as well. The news of Canonicus’ death is devastating to the Narragansett people. Tens of thousands of Narragansett men, women, and children gather at Cocumscussoc, or what we know as Wickford today, to honor his life. The passing of this great man marks the beginning of a very rough road for their people. Shortly after Canonicus’ death, their tribe enters a period of economic depression when the price of fur and wampum begins to fall. The Narragansetts find themselves unable to purchase any of the European goods they’ve become so reliant on, making them desperate for a new source of income. Eventually, they’re forced to sell off the only commodity they have left that holds any value, their land, and for the next decade their empire begins to crumble. Their English neighbors in Rhode Island purchase the islands in Narragansett Bay, the land for present day Providence County, and 12 square miles of land in the southeastern corner of present Washington county via a land acquisition known as the Pettaquamscutt purchase. By the end of the 1650s, the Narragansetts land that once used to encompass most of present day Rhode Island is reduced to just the southwestern portion of present day Washington County. And the tribe that was once the most dominant power in all of southern New England is now struggling just to hang on. Over the next decade and a half, the Pokanoket people go through an almost identical set of events. In 1661 they watch their Massasoit, or great leader, Osamequin, pass away as well. Just like the passing of Canonicus, this proves to be devastating to the Pokanoket people as they often looked to Osamequin for guidance. Then, just a few years later, the Pokanokets begin rapidly auctioning off their land so that they can also generate a source of income that they once obtained via the fur trade. As land is continuously being sold off to their English neighbors and English towns begin popping up all around them, the tribe finds itself pushed into a corner, trapped in a world their ancestors wouldn’t recognize. Then, in 1671, with the power of the Plymouth, Connecticut, and Massachusetts colonies breathing down their necks, the Pokanokets leaders are forced to sign a document that officially makes them subjects of the Plymouth government. With the stroke of a pen, the tribe’s worst fears have come true as they are no longer an autonomous power. The Pokanoket people find themselves resenting the English who have seemingly destroyed everything they once had and the tribe is anxious for revenge. They are by no means the only tribe battling through these emotions as numerous others hold similar sentiments. Pokanoket warriors begin meeting with warriors from other tribes and eventually begin pushing for war with the English. It’s in this world that the tribe’s newest leader, or as the Pokanoket’s is forced to lead in. His name is Metacom but the English know him as King Philip and he’s the son of the great Osamequin. It’s up to this man in his mid thirties to answer the questions every Pokanoket and most other natives throughout southern New England are asking themselves; how long do we allow this to go on for? At what point do we decide to stand up for ourselves and fight to regain our way of life? Then, in June of 1675, Metacom has these questions answered for him when the English overstep their boundaries for the last time.

Hanging from a rope in Plymouth Colony are the lifeless bodies of two Pokanoket men. These two men, along with a third who will be executed shortly, were sentenced to death after being found guilty of murder. But it’s who the men murdered that makes this hanging so controversial. The man murdered was another Native American known as John Sassamon, making this conflict an intertribal matter, meaning that it should’ve been left to the tribes to deal with. But that’s not what happened. Instead Plymouth decided to insert themselves into the matter and try the men instead, once again disrespecting the tribe’s sovereignty. When news of the hanging makes its way to the Pokanoket village in present day Bristol it unleashes a rage in their warriors that’s been festering for years now and Metacom knows that this will inevitably be the spark that ignites his people into rebellion. He’s assumed this day would come so he’s been coordinating a joint uprising with the Nipmuc and Pocumtuck tribes for years now. With war now inevitably on the way, it’ll only be a matter of days until his preparation is put to the test. To mentally prepare himself for the conflict that’s about to ensue, Metacom takes a long walk through the woods his people have inhabited for thousands of years. As he walks, he thinks about his late brother, Wamsutta, who mysteriously died back in 1662. Metacom believes that the English poisoned his brother, only heightening his hatred for the English. As the memories of his brother’s death fill him with rage, the young Pokanoket leader begins clenching his fist, anxious for the day when he can get revenge. AT the same time, he can’t help but to think about his father, Osamequin, as well and how he was the one who initiated the Pokanoket’s relationship with the English colonists. For a minute, he becomes upset with his father wishing he would’ve driven them off of the land while they were still weak. But deep down he knows that it’s unfair to put that burden on him. There was no way he could’ve known that the English would grow this strong and he knows that his father was simply trying to protect his people from the Narragansetts. After walking for a while, the leader of the Pokanokets realizes that he’s made it all the way to the eastern shores of the Narragansett Bay. As he scans the horizon, he thinks about the stories he’s heard about when Europeans, or as they called them then “knife men”, first started visiting the bay. He wishes more than anything he could go back and warn them about the challenges they’d inflict on their people. He’d tell them that they must keep these men off of their land at all costs. Unfortunately, those events have already taken place and as he looks at the land on the other side of the bay he sees the remnants of those changes. Land that once used to be ruled by the Narragansett tribe has since been handed over to a group of English colonists who now make up the Rhode Island Colony. The Narragansetts seasonal villages filled with wetus and wigwams have since been replaced by English homes and English customs. Not only has the land changed but so has their very relationship with the land. Land that once used to be used and shared amongst different tribes is now a commodity that's sold from one person to another. And to clearly delineate who owns what land, rock walls and wooden fences can now be seen littered throughout the region. Even the animals living on those lands have changed. English livestock like cattle, sheep, horses, and pigs can now be seen throughout the bay. The islands that were once used by the Narragansetts as summer settlements are now used to house large groups of sheep and pigs, keeping them safe from the wolves on the mainland. Metacom knows that if one of his ancestors were with him right now, they would hardly recognize what they are looking at.. Eventually, the Pokanoket leader realizes that the sun is beginning to set behind the horizon and decides it’s time to head home. After taking one last look at the bay, he begins making his way back to his village. Knowing that the future of his people now rests on his shoulders, he hopes that by some miracle he can lead his people to victory and reclaim the world that was once theirs.

Just a few weeks later, the Pokanokets do in fact go on to lead an uprising against the English. Unfortunately for their people, Metacom’s rebellion, or as it’s better known today, King Philip’s War, does not end well for the Pokanokets. Since the details of that war have already been covered in this podcast I will refrain from sharing them again today but to summarize the conflict ends up being a disaster for not only the Pokanoket people but tribes throughout New England. By the end of the war the Pokanoket and Narragansett tribes are all but destroyed, the term Pokanoket is outlawed, and those who survive the conflict are forced to take up refuge on the few pieces of land their people are allowed to inhabit. Over the next few centuries their tribes fight through prejudice, poverty, and a lack of political representation. Their fight that was once centered around protecting their way of life suddenly turns into a fight for their tribe’s mere existence. Needless to say, the actions committed by the English were with great fault but my intention with these bonus episodes was not to judge their actions. Instead my aim was to illustrate what life was like for the Narragansett and Pokanoket people before the arrival of the English colonists and how their lives changed when Europeans began calling New England home as well. If even only for a minute you were able to fully immerse yourself in their world and ponder the thoughts they were forced to deal with as their lives were rapidly changing, I’d like to think these episodes were a success. And luckily for you, your understanding of these great tribes doesn’t have to end with this podcast. The Narragansett and Pokanoket tribes are still around today and can tell you even more about their people’s remarkable history and culture. And by truly understanding the story of their people it not only teaches us about the world Rhode Island was built in but allows us to fully comprehend where the story of Rhode island began.