882 PAPERS RELATING TO ANTHROPOLOGY. 



pie this country, and the rest called Pawtuckett. There are not of this 

 people left at this day above three hundred men, besides women and 

 children. 



"6. Pawtuckett is the fifth and last great sackemship of Indians. 

 Their country lieth north and northeast from the Massachusetts, whose 

 dominion reacheth so far as the English jurisdiction, or colony of the 

 Massachusetts, doth now extend, and had under them several other 

 smaller sagamores, as the Pennakooks, Agawomes, Naainkeeks, Pas- 

 catawayes, Accomintas, and others. They were also a considerable 

 people heretofore, about three thousand men, and held amity with the 

 people of Massachusetts. But these also were almost totally destroyed 

 by the great sickness before mentioned, so that at this day they are not 

 above two hundred and fifty men, besides women and children. This 

 country is now inhabited by the English uuder the government of 

 Massachusetts." 



Pawkunnawkutt was the Indian name for the country around the 

 present city of Bristol, R. I. King Philip, Pometacom, or Metacomet, 

 lived here, and it was from this place the nation of which he was 

 sachem derived its name. These Indians were, however, sometimes 

 called the Wampanoags, or Wamponoags. Another writer says : " The 

 east side of Narragansett Bay was inhabited by the Wampanoags (who 

 are next in power to the Narragan setts), on the broad regions of country 

 extending to Massachusetts Bay, Cape Cod, and Nantucket. The most 

 powerful sachem of the Wampanoags, at the time of the arrival of the 

 Plymouth settlers, was Massasoit, also called Osemequiu. His two 

 sons and successors were Wamsutta, called by the English name of 

 Alexander, and Metacomet, known as King Philip." The five tribes 

 of Indians mentioned used the same language, with, however, some 

 slight difference in the expression, not unlike the ditferences found in 

 several counties in England. They could readily understand each 

 other, but could not understand some of the inland Indians, particu- 

 larly the Mawhawks, or Maquas. " Their government is generally 

 monarchical, their chief sachem or sagamore's will being their law; but 

 yet the sachem had some chief men that he consults with as his special 

 counselors. Among some of the Indians their government is mixed, 

 partly monarchical and partly aristocratical, their sagamore doing not 

 any weighty matter without the consent of his great men, or petty 

 sagamores. Their sachems have not their men in such subjection but 

 that very frequently their men will leave them, upon distaste or harsh 

 dealing, and go and live under other sachems that can protect them; so 

 that their principal endeavor is to carry it obligingly and lovingly unto 

 their people, lest they should desert them, and thereby their strength, 

 power, and tribute would be diminished." This description of their 

 government, given in Mr. Gookin's history of the Indians in New Eng- 

 land, shows the peculiar, uncertain hold which their rulers had upon 

 them, and throws a good deal of light on the relation which soon came 



