The Native Americans known as the Massachuset once lived along the coast of what is now the state of Massachusetts. Their name, meaning “at the great hill,” was the source of the state's name. The Massachuset no longer exist as a distinct tribe.

Society and culture

By the early 1600s the Massachuset had established about 30 villages. Each had a population of several hundred people. The Massachuset lived in bark-covered dwellings called wigwams, which were large enough to house several families.

Close to their villages, Massachuset women planted fields of corn (maize), beans, and squash. Women also collected shellfish along nearby beaches. Men hunted deer and other wild game and fished in rivers and the ocean. They were also responsible for trading with other Indian peoples and battling the tribe's Indian enemies. The Massachuset were divided into several bands. Each was ruled by a sachem, or chief.

The Massachuset believed in spirit beings called manitou. They were thought to give people power, health, and well-being. Healers called pawauog communicated with manitou through dreams.

History

In 1605 the French explorer Samuel de Champlain first came upon the Massachuset. The tribe generally welcomed the traders who followed. But they suffered greatly from European diseases such as smallpox even before the first permanent European settlement in the area. By the middle of the 17th the tribe had been greatly reduced.

In 1646 the Massachuset agreed to allow John Eliot, a Protestant missionary, to live among them. Eliot converted many tribe members to Christianity. In 1663, after 15 years of work, Eliot published a Bible translated into the Massachuset language. It was the first Bible to be printed in what is now the United States.

The converted Massachuset joined other Christian Indians from the Nipmuc and Pokanoket tribes in several villages established by Eliot. These inhabitants of these villages became known as Praying Indians. They lived much like Europeans and gave up their tribal identities. The most important of these settlements was Natick, which was located near the English town of Boston.

In 1675 other New England tribes declared war on the English settlers who were taking over their lands. During the conflict, known as King Philip's War, neither side trusted the Praying Indians. The English raided their towns and took some Massachuset captive. Some of the captives were shipped away from New England and sold into slavery.

During the war and its aftermath, the surviving Massachuset scattered, finding refuge among other Indian peoples. By the 19th century, the Massachuset no longer existed as an independent tribe.