Sachem

A sachem or sagamore is a usually male paramount chief among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms from different Eastern Algonquian languages. Some sources indicate the sagamore was a lesser chief elected by a single band, while the sachem was the head or representative elected by a tribe or group of bands; others suggest the two terms were interchangeable. The sachem is an appointed or elected position and not strictly hereditary. However, the choice of sachem is at least partly based on the prominence of the individual's family or kinship ties to the previous sachem.

Etymology

The Oxford English Dictionary found a use from 1613. The term "Sagamore" appears in Noah Webster's first An American Dictionary of the English Language published in 1828, as well as the 1917 Webster's New International Dictionary.
One modern source explains:

According to Captain John Smith, who explored New England in 1614, the Massachusett tribes called their kings "sachems" while the Penobscots used the term "sagamos". Conversely, Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley of Roxbury wrote in 1631 that the kings in the Massachusetts Bay bay area were called sagamores, but were called sachems southward. The two terms apparently came from the same root. Although "sagamore" has sometimes been defined by colonists and historians as a subordinate lord, modern opinion is that "sachem" and "sagamore" are dialectical variations of the same word.

Cognate words

Chiefs

The "great chief" whose aid was such a boon to the Plymouth Colony—although his motives were complex—is remembered today as simply Massasoit.
Another sachem, Mahomet Weyonomon of the Mohegan tribe, travelled to London in 1735, to petition King George II for fairer treatment of his people. He complained that their lands were becoming overrun by encroachment from white settlers. Other sachems included Uncas, Wonalancet, Madockawando, and Samoset.

In popular culture

Government and politics

The leader of New York City's Tammany Hall was officially referred to as Sachem.
In the 1940s, the legislature of Indiana created the honorary title of "Sagamore of the Wabash", analogous to Kentucky Colonel. In 1996, the government designated "Sachem of the Wabash" as a higher honor.
Schools
Sachem School District, on Long Island, one of the largest school districts on the island.
Algonquin Regional High School, in Northborough, MA, named its art and poetry magazine Sachem after this Algonquian word.
Laconia High School, in Laconia, NH, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
Middleborough High School, in Middleboro, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
Pentucket Regional High School, in West Newbury, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
Saugus High School, in Saugus, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
Massapequa High School, in Massapequa, NY, named its annual student yearbook The Sachem.
The Sachems, a secret society at Columbia University