Massasoit - Great Sachem of the Wampanoag Confederacy

By Gkullberg (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0
or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Massasoit, Osamequin, Yellow Feather, son of Wasanegin, was a member, and leader, of the Pokanoket (People of the First Light). It was his humanity and acts that aided the newly-arrived pilgrims at Plymouth to survive winter and the plantation's hardships of the following years. He had many negotiations and dealings with Plymouth and colonial leaders, including William Bradford, John Carver, Stephen Hopkins, Edward Winslow, and Myles Standish. A peace treaty, made on March 22nd, 1621, created an alliance that guaranteed peace between the Wampanoag and Plymouth, under Massasoit's word.

This treaty also had the Wampanoag remaining as neutrals during the Pequot War. His word and dealings, with the Plymouth Colony, kept a sometimes unstable peace between the Colony and the Wampanoag for nearly half a century. It was a peace that also died along with Massasoit's death around the year 1661.

Born: (circa) 1580 near Sowans, Mount Hope, Rhode Island
Died: (circa) 1661 Sowans, Mount Hope, Bristol, Rhode Island

Learn More at:
http://mayflowerhistory.com/massasoit/
https://web.archive.org/web/20160410185739/http://mayflowerfamilies.com/?page_id=1818#P139

https://web.archive.org/web/20150111125742/http://nativeamericanencyclopedia.com/massasoit-1581-1661/