CHEMAWA f AMERICAN
Printed at Chemawa, Oregon, and Devoted to the Interest*
Vol. XXIX
Indian Education
Wednesday, March 21, 1928
| Famous American Indians $
KING PHILIP
By AARON SOOKUM, Chemawa Student
Philip, ruler of the Wampanoags, was the only In
dian in our country to whom the English colonists
gave the title of King. Where his family generally
lived is now called Mount Hope, and is twelve or
fifteen miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.
The date of Philip’s birth is unknown. It is probable,
however, that he was born before 1620. His home
did not differ very much from those of his playmates,
for there was no aristocracy among the Indians.
As a child Philip liked to sit by the camp fire and
listen to the stories of adventure told by his elders.
Philip’s Indian name was Matacomet. He was the
second son of Chief Massasoit. There were five
Wampanoag tribes that owed allegiance to Massasoit.
The most prominent man in these villages was called
a sagamore. These villages were united and ruled by
a sachem or chief. Such a chief was Massasoit.
He called the sagamores together frequently for con
sultation, and led them rather than ruled them. At
such meetings, and by the camp fire, as a child, Philip
would hear strange stories of adventure. In such a
way he first heard about the English, or “palefaces,”
as the Indians called them.
Philip received the same education that the other
young boys of his tribe received. The education was
training to make him brave, daring, hardy, and able
to bear pain. In his boyhood he was greatly interested
in the coming of the white man. Massasoit and his
people were on friendly terms with the palefaces. It
was Somoset of Massasoit’s tribe that rushed into the
Pilgrims’ settlement and boldly exclaimed, “English
men welcome!” Somoset, accompanied by Squanto,
visited the Pilgrims again. Squanto had been taken
aboard a ship with twenty-three others by a Thomas
Hunt, who betrayed them in a most dishonest and in
human manner. He carried them to Malaya and
there sold them. Squanto escaped to England
and returned to his native land. He taught the Pil
grims how to catch eels, where to go fishing, when to
plant their corn, and how to put a fish in every hill
to make it grow faster. He liked the Pilgrims so
much that on his death bed he asked Governor Brad
ford to pray so he might go to the white man’s heaven.
With Squanto as interpreter Massasoit and the Gov
ernor made a treaty in which the Indians and the Pil
grims were to live like friends and brothers, doing all
they could to help each other. This promise was kept
for more than fifty years, long after the two men who
made it were in their graves. Massasoit and his people
shared the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims. ‘ ‘The
Indians brought venison and other good things; there
were plenty of wild turkeys roasted; and so they sat
down together to a great dinner, and had a merry
time in the wilderness.”
The Wampanoag’s refused to be converted to Chris
tianity. They could not see how it would make them
any better when it did not make some of the white
people better, so they preferred their former mode of
life.
Massasoit died about 1661. His eldest son, Warn-
sutta, followed him as chief. Soon after he was ar
rested and taken to Plymouth where he was charged
with plotting against the English. He was treated
well. Nothing was proved in his disfavor and he was
released. On his way home, unfortunately, he died.
Philip followed him as chief. A mischievous report
was started that the white people had poisoned Wam-
sutta. This report was untrue.
King Philip made no attempt to injure the whites
in any way. However, by wrong rumors the whites
became suspicious of Philip and summoned him to
Plymouth to answer a charge of plotting against them.
Philip proved that he did not plot against them, and
showed them that it was against his own interests to
have any trouble with them, and, as proof, he offered
to leave his brother with them as a hostage. He
agreed to continue the treaty his father had made
forty years before. He kept the treaty faithfully for
several years.
In 1667, six years after Philip became chief, an In
dian told the people at Plymouth that Philip wished
the Dutch would defeat the English in the war which
was being carried on between Holland and England.
He was called to account for this, but he proved this
false by offering to surrender all his arms of war.
(Continued on page 4)