The Wampanoag Indians were a Native American people who lived in eastern Massachusetts. They were historically agrarian and lived in wigwams, hunting and fishing to supplement their crops. European contact in 1616 brought disease, causing epidemics that decimated the population. Massasoit and Squanto helped the Pilgrims survive and celebrated the first Thanksgiving. Traditional Wampanoag life revolved around the seasons, and they were known for their beautifully made wampum. Traditional dress included breeches, leggings, and moccasins. Some Wampanoag Indians still live on Martha’s Vineyard today.
The Wampanoag Indians are a Native American people who traditionally inhabited the lands of eastern Massachusetts, including what is known today as Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. The Wampanoags are considered part of the Algonquian nation. Historically agrarian, they lived in the wetu, also known as the wigwam, and hunted and fished to supplement their agricultural crops.
The first European contact with the Wampanoag Indians occurred around 1616 AD Unfortunately for the tribe, the Europeans brought with them diseases to which the Native Americans had no immunity. This caused a series of epidemics that decimated the Wampanoag population, which numbered as many as 40,000. In 1620, only about 2,000 mainland Wampanoag Indians survived.
One of the better known Wampanoag Indians was Massasoit. Along with Squanto, an English-speaking Patuxet Indian, Massasoit helped the early Massachusetts Pilgrims to survive. They are Massasoit, Squanto, and many other Wampanoag warriors who celebrated the first Thanksgiving Day in the United States with the Pilgrims, following the settlers’ first successful year of farming and surviving in Massachusetts.
Traditional Wampanoag life generally revolved around the seasons. In the warmer months, those on the mainland typically lived in coastal areas. They caught fish and seafood and farmed and harvested. As the weather got colder in the fall and winter, people often moved further inland and used hunting to provide food.
The Wampanoag Indians were known for their ability to make beautifully made wampum, or beads used as money. In addition to being used as a form of Native American currency, wampum often told stories or represented members of a particular family. Because of its quality, other tribes often seek out or desire Wampanoag wampum.
Traditional Wampanoag dress usually included breeches with leggings for men. Often neither men nor women wore shirts, but wore buckskin suits during colder weather. Both men and women sometimes wore moccasins on their feet. Wampanoag men often wore beaded headbands with a pair of feathers. Wampanoag chiefs, or sachems, could usually be distinguished because their feathers would point up from their headbands, unlike those of other male members.
Men often wore their hair in a traditional “mohawk” style, with the sides of the head shaved and a mohawk left on top. Sometimes they left only a scalp tuft, a long lock of hair left on top of the head. Women generally wore their hair long.
Some Wampanoag Indians have lived on Martha’s Vineyard since before the arrival of Europeans and continue to do so today. Their traditional name for the island is Noepe. There are currently about 300 Wampanoags.
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