KING PHILIP'S WAR: New England, 1676. It was a short-lived conflict between the Indians and American colonists with devastating consequences. Named for the defiant Wampanoag, King Philip led an alliance of several tribes in "the most destructive American War ever fought in proportion to the numbers engages" (Sotheby's, Siebert Sale Catalogue, May 1999, p. 98) The Native American had suffered nearly seventy to ninety-five percent losses by war's end. "The folio accounts of King Philips War are among the choicest rarities of a New England Library" (Justin Winsor, Siebert Sale).
There are important references to the "Praying Indians" and attempts to protect their villages from the ravages of war. John Eliot the great missionary to the Indians and translator of the first Bible in a Native American tongue (also mentioned several times), tried tirelessly to protect the Christian Natives and secure the mission work, and herein given the highest praise. "For a close of the narrative, I shall beg the Readers patience the substance of some of the Letters which I shall contract under one, relating to be praying Indians; that is, such as call upon the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, as being persuaded that there is a Concernment of God's Glory depending thereupon; ..." There is also mention of what was to become the most famous account of of the captivity and release of Mrs. Rowlandson as well as the captivities of several English children by the Indians. There is also the account of the "Publick thanksgiving" called on June 29th, 1676 after which the war turned toward the English and Christian Indians: "Which the Lord hath been pleased to accept, as from that time the resolve upon it, ever since we have experienced little else than renewed mercies and smiles of Providence. God himself hath sent from Heaven and saved us (for we see nothing of man, but God to be all in all) ..."
First edition. The fourth of five folio tracts,published from 1675-1677, reporting on King Philip's War. This account was written by an anonymous author who was undoubtedly a different individual than the writer of the first three narratives. This author indicates that he makes certain corrections to the previously published accounts. Philip was the Christian name of Metacomet,son of Massasoit and sachem of the Wam-panoag Indians. He led the Wampanoags and other loosely allied tribes in the last attempt at military resistance to European dominance in southern New England. The fighting was precipitated by the execution of 3 Wampanoags for the alleged murder of John Sassamon,a Christianized Indian and informer for the English. The Wampanoags responded with destructive raids upon Swansea and nearby settlements. The hostilities quickly expanded as the United Colonies joined Plymouth in retaliatory strikes against the Wampanoags,and as more tribes were pushed into resistance by the heavy handed tactics of the English. The colonists were poorly prepared for combat with the Indians and often frustrated by their inability to engage their enemy in direct combat. Over the course of the war,Philip and his allies conducted a series of devastating raids along the English frontier which left 20 towns and many smaller settlements in ruins,and at one point threatened the major settlements of Plymouth,Providence and the outskirts of Boston. However,by Aug. 1676, the colonists had hunted down and killed Philip and put an end to most of the resistance. Philip was decapitated and his head placed on a pole in Plymouth,where it remained for years to come. Large numbers of Indians had been killed in the fighting or by disease; many others were sold into slavery. Of the remainder,many migrated west or north,leaving only small numbers of thoroughly pacified Indians remaining in southern New England. Not only had the English established their military dominance in the region,they had eliminated their main obstacle to continued colonial expansion. "King Philip's War was one of the most critical events of the colonial period; in the disastrous year of 1675 many frontier English settlements were entirely destroyed by the Indians who were attempting to resist the advance of the frontier. At the cost of heavy losses to the Colonists the Indian problem in southern New England was resolved." -- Streeter II,637. Sabin 97085,Church 648.
RECOGNISED BY U.S. GOVERNMENT AS LEGITIMATE
INDIAN TRIBE OF MASSACHUSETTS ON 2-15-2007
BOSTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Thursday (2-15-2007) officially recognized the American Indians whose ancestors met the Pilgrim settlers at Plymouth Rock in 1620 and fought in a bloody conflict over the first U.S. colonies.
The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts, whose ancestors held the first Thanksgiving meal with the European settlers, are now eligible for federal assistance in housing and healthcare, the U.S. Interior Department said.
Under their new status, the Cape Cod tribe can also hunt and fish without a state license and apply to build a casino, potentially fueling efforts to lift a state ban on casinos.
The tribe's ancestors fought in the bloodiest conflict of 17th century New England, a one-year battle between Indians and English settlers that killed an estimated 600 settlers and 3,000 Indians. The King Philip's War broke down Indian resistance and led to the eventual westward push by Europeans.
Asked why it took so long for recognition, tribe spokesman Scott Ferson said the process is a bureaucratic procedure that "does not necessarily favor the Eastern tribes," which are smaller than the Western tribes.
About 65 miles southeast of Boston in Mashpee, a town where most of the tribe lives, tribal elders tended to "spirit fires" to honor tribe members who have died since the push for recognition began 32 years ago, as others celebrated.
Ferson said the tribe submitted 64 boxes of documentation to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, including detailed genealogies on each of the tribe's 1,461 living members dating to the first encounter with the Europeans.
The tribe's chairman, Glenn Marshall, can trace his heritage back to Massasoit, the Wampanoag chief who shared the first Thanksgiving meal with European settlers in 1621.
There are currently 561 recognized Native American tribes in the United States and nearly 200 petitions for recognition, said Nedra Darling, a Bureau of Indian Affairs spokeswoman.
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