Metacomet


Metacomet, also known as Pometacom, Metacom, and by his adopted English name King Philip, was sachem to the Wampanoag people from 1662–1676, and the second son of the sachem Massasoit. Metacomet became sachem after Massasoit's death. Metacomet was killed on August 12, 1676, near Mount Hope, Rhode Island. Scholars say his death marked the end of King Phillip's War.
Metacomet's initial goal was to live in peace with the colonists. His main responsibility was trade with the colonists. This peace changed later on after consistent negative interactions with the colonists. King Phillip's War occurred between the Wampanoag people and English colonists for the sake of preserving Wampanoag land as the colonies continued to expand.

Family

Metacomet's older brother Wamsutta briefly became sachem after their father's death in 1661. Metacomet believed their father was poisoned due to English hatred of Native Americans. However, Wamsutta also died shortly thereafter. This led to Metacomet becoming sachem in 1662.
Wamsutta's widow, Weetamoo, female sachem of the Pocasset, became Metacomet's ally and lifelong friend. He married her younger sister, Wootonekanuske.
Following the defeat of the Native Americans in King Philip's War, Wootonekanuske and their only son were imprisoned. Phillip's only son was sold into slavery in the West Indies. It is unclear how many other children Metacomet had or what ultimately happened to them, but scholars note that Metacomet only had one son.
As late as the early 1900s, the Mitchell family of Middleboro, Massachusetts claimed to be descendants of the famous Wampanoag leader.

Name change

In the spring of 1660, Metacom's brother Wamsutta appeared before the court of Plymouth to request that he and his brother be given English names in accordance with Wampanoag custom, in which new names marked significant moments in time. The court agreed, and Wamsutta had his name changed to Alexander, and Metacom's was changed to Philip.
Author Nathaniel Philbrick has suggested that the Wampanoag may have taken action at the urging of Wamsutta's interpreter, the Christian neophyte John Sassamon. Metacom was later called "King Philip" by the English, though king was not a word which could be directly translated into Wampanoag. Historians theorize that sachem is the closest in meaning.

King Philip's War

King Philip used tribal alliances to coordinate efforts to push European colonists out of New England. Many of the native tribes in the region wanted to push out the colonists following conflicts over land use, diminished game as a consequence of expanding European settlement, and other tensions.
To the west, the Iroquois Confederation was also fighting against neighboring tribes in the Beaver Wars, pushing them from the west and encroaching on Metacom's territory. Finally, in 1671, the colonial leaders of the Plymouth Colony forced major concessions from Metacom. Metacom surrendered much of his tribe's armament and ammunition, and agreed that they were subject to English law. The encroachment continued until hostilities broke out in 1675.
As the colonists brought their growing numbers to bear, King Philip and some of his followers took refuge in the great Assowampset Swamp in southern Massachusetts. He held out for a time, with his family and remaining followers.
Hunted by a group of rangers led by Captain Benjamin Church, King Philip was fatally shot by a praying Indian named John Alderman, on August 12, 1676, in the Miery Swamp near Mount Hope in Bristol, Rhode Island. He was shot by Alderman for killing his brother. After his death, his wife and nine-year-old son were captured and sold as slaves in Bermuda. Philip's head was mounted on a pike at the entrance to Plymouth, Massachusetts, where it remained for more than two decades. His body was cut into quarters and hung in trees. Alderman was given Philip's right hand as a trophy.
Remaining Native Americans that weren't killed during the war relocated to join other tribes or reservations, while many Native American leaders were sold into slavery.

Representations

Legacy

Numerous notable places are named after Metacomet:
There are also multiple places named Metamora, paying homage to the heroic depiction of Metacomet in John Augustus Stone's play: Metamora, Ohio, Metamora Township, Michigan, Metamora, Indiana, and Metamora, Illinois.
One insect species is named after Metacomet: Tipula metacomet, a species of large crane fly with a type locality in Amherst, Massachusetts