Agawam people facts for kids
The Agawam were a group of Native American people. They belonged to the Algonquian family. English colonists met them in New England in the early 1600s.
Before the English arrived, many Agawam people got very sick and died. They also worried about attacks from other tribes, like the Abenaki. Because of this, they invited the English to live on their land.
The General Court of Massachusetts made laws to protect the Agawam. These laws helped keep their land rights and crops safe. The English also helped defend them from attacks. Agawam people were often welcomed into Puritan homes for dinner. By 1675, when King Philip's War happened, the Agawam had blended into the colonial society. They did not take part in the war.
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What Does "Agawam" Mean?
The name "Agawam" is an English version of the native name for the tribe's land. The English often named tribes after their homelands. So, "Agawam" is likely an English name based on a native one.
The Agawam's land was called Wonnesquamsauke. This name means "pleasant water place." It came from wonne (pleasant), asquam (water), and auke (place).
Where Was Agawam Territory?
The Agawam's land stretched from Cape Ann to the Merrimack River. This area covered the coast of eastern Essex County today. It was a place with many rivers, bays, and islands, like Plum Island.
The colonists created other English place names from the native word. For example, "Squam" comes from asquam. "Annisquam" comes from Wonnesquam.
Inland, the Agawam territory went from today's North Andover to Middleton. From there, it reached the Danvers River. This river was the border with the Naumkeag tribe, near where Salem, Massachusetts is now.
Other Agawam Names
Other small tribes near Springfield, Massachusetts and Wareham, Massachusetts also used names like Agawam. But there is no proof they were connected to the Agawam of Essex County. The Springfield group was part of the Pacomtuc people. The Wareham group was part of the Wampanoag people.
These different names likely came from different native words. For example, one might have meant "the fish-curing place." These other native groups did fight in King Philip's War. This caused some people to be hurt or die among the colonists.
What Language Did They Speak?
Native people along the east coast of the United States and Canada spoke Eastern Algonquian. This language group was part of the larger Algonquian family. The Appalachian mountains separated them from other Algonquian speakers.
Eastern Algonquian included the Massachusett language. This was spoken on the coast of Massachusetts. The Massachusett language had different dialects, or closely related languages. One of these was spoken by the Agawam of the North Shore.
How Was Agawam Society Organized?
Each Algonquian language group was a sovereign state, or tribe. A hereditary sachem, or chief, ruled each tribe. Other chiefs helped him. The sachem's power was based on economics. He was seen as owning all the land used for gathering food. He decided how groups of families could use these lands.
This system meant the English could talk to one sachem to get land. However, Native Americans had a different idea about land use. They might not have understood that the land they sold would be permanently taken from the tribe's common use.
The English recorded the names of the sachems in the early 1600s. The sachem of the Agawam at that time was Masconomet.
