Hobbamock facts for kids

Hobomok was an important leader among the Pokanoket people. He was a pniese, which meant he was a trusted advisor and warrior. He came to live with the English settlers in North America in 1620. His name was spelled in different ways back then, but today we usually call him Hobomok.

Hobomok was known for his friendly rivalry with Squanto, another Native American who lived with the settlers. He was greatly trusted by Myles Standish, who was the military leader of the Plymouth Colony. Hobomok even joined Standish in a fight against another group called the Massachuset. He was also very loyal to Massasoit, the main leader (or sachem) of the Pokanoket, who became a good friend to the English settlers. Some people say Hobomok became a Christian, but we don't know exactly what that meant to him.

Life with the Pokanoket People

We don't know much about Hobomok's life before he started living with the English settlers. These settlers arrived on a ship called the Mayflower and built their town, Plymouth, in December 1620. What we do know about Hobomok comes from the writings of Governor William Bradford and Edward Winslow, who later became governor.

Hobomok was part of the Pokanoket people. Their leader, Massasoit, was in charge of many smaller groups and villages. The English called this large group the Wampanoag Confederation. The Pokanoket were a group of Algonquian peoples who lived in Southern New England. Their main village, Pokanoket (later called Sowams), was near what is now Bristol, Rhode Island.

Like other Algonquian groups in the area, the Pokanoket were led by a sachem. This leader was chosen by important men from certain families. When the Mayflower arrived, Massasoit was the sachem. Below the sachem were important men called ahtaskoaog. This group included `shamans` (spiritual healers called pow-wows by the English) and pniesesock. The pniesesock were advisors and helpers to the sachem. They collected yearly payments, led warriors into battle, and gave advice about land. Hobomok was one of these important pniesesock.

Life with the Plymouth Settlers

Pokanoket and Pilgrims Become Friends

On March 16, 1621, a Native American named Samoset bravely walked into the Plymouth settlement. He surprised the English by greeting them in English! Samoset explained he was there for the Pokanoket, who were their neighbors.

Through Samoset and later Squanto, Massasoit came to the settlement with his brother and 60 men on March 22. During this meeting, the English settlers and the Pokanoket made a peace treaty. They also agreed to help each other if they were attacked. Hobomok was probably among Massasoit's men, even though he wasn't specifically mentioned. As a pniese, he would have been there.

Hobomok Moves in with the English

Hobomok's actions were first written down by the settlers about four or five months later. Governor Bradford said Hobomok had been living with them for a while. Bradford described him as "a proper lustie man, and a man of accounte for his vallour." This means he was a strong, brave man who was respected among his people.

Squanto had been living with the English settlers since they became friends with the Pokanoket. Squanto taught the settlers how to plant corn and other native crops. He also guided them to nearby areas, helped them understand their Native American neighbors, and set up trade. Both Bradford and Winslow first wrote about Hobomok when Squanto was thought to have been kidnapped. Their stories are a bit different, though.

Saving Squanto from Corbitant

Winslow's story says that news reached Plymouth that the Narragansett people had forced Massasoit out of his land. A sub-leader named Corbitant (who was loyal to Massasoit) was at a nearby village called Nemasket. Corbitant was trying to turn people against Massasoit and the English. He was also angry at Squanto for helping the English make a peace treaty.

Squanto and Hobomok went to Nemasket to find out what Corbitant was doing. There, Corbitant captured Squanto. Corbitant said that if Squanto died, "the English had lost their tongue," meaning they would lose their ability to talk with Native Americans. Hobomok saw Corbitant holding a knife to Squanto's chest. Hobomok broke free and ran back to Plymouth, fearing Squanto had been killed.

Bradford's story doesn't mention any threat to Massasoit. He only writes that Hobomok and Squanto were returning from "bussines amonge the Indeans" when they met Corbitant at Nemasket. They started arguing, and Corbitant threatened to stab Hobomok. Hobomok broke free and ran to Plymouth. He told Bradford he feared Squanto had been killed because of their friendship with the English.

The Governor and his advisors decided they couldn't let this go unpunished. They planned to send armed men to Nemasket. If Squanto had been killed, they would cut off Corbitant's head.

Myles Standish and his men, led by Hobomok.

Captain Standish led a group of 14 armed men. Hobomok agreed to guide them. They set out on August 14. It was a very wet day, but they marched close to Nemasket. Hobomok got lost in the dark, rainy night, which made the men tired and discouraged. Luckily, Winslow and Stephen Hopkins knew the way. They arrived just in time to attack the village around midnight.

Hobomok led them to the house where he thought Corbitant would be. The men burst in, asking where Corbitant was. The people inside were too scared to speak. The settlers tried to explain they only wanted Corbitant and wouldn't hurt women or children. But some tried to escape and were wounded. The settlers fired their guns a few times, which woke up the whole village.

Eventually, those in the house explained to Hobomok that Corbitant and his men had left. The settlers demanded a fire to search the house and stayed there for the night. Hobomok climbed onto the roof and called for Squanto. Squanto, along with other villagers, came and were disarmed by the settlers.

The next morning, the settlers gathered the villagers. They warned them not to hide Corbitant. They also threatened that if Massasoit was harmed, or if Corbitant threatened Squanto or Hobomok, they would get revenge. They apologized for the injuries from the night before and offered to have the wounded treated by their doctor in Plymouth. Winslow said a man and a woman went back with them for treatment. Squanto and other villagers also came, offering to help carry anything the settlers needed.

Trouble with the Massachuset Tribe

Hobomok is mentioned again seven months later, in March 1622. Plymouth was in a difficult spot. More settlers had arrived without enough food, so the colony had to eat half-rations all winter. The Narragansett tribe learned the settlement was weak and began to threaten them. It was "common talke" among nearby Native Americans that the Narragansett were getting ready to attack.

In January, the Narragansett leader, Canonicus, sent a message of war (a bundle of arrows in a rattlesnake's skin). But the Governor sent back a strong warning (the skin filled with gunpowder and bullets), and the Narragansett decided not to attack.

This made the colony feel unsafe. They decided to build a strong fence around the settlement. They cut down tall trees, dragged them from the forest, and put them in deep holes, binding them close together so arrows couldn't get through. They did this while still on half-rations. Standish also divided the men into four groups and trained them on how to respond to an attack, even during a fire in town.

In early March, while everyone was worried about a possible attack, it was time for a planned visit to the Massachuset people. This group lived north of them and were not part of Massasoit's confederation. The English wanted to trade for furs. As they got ready to leave, Hobomok told the leaders he had heard rumors in the woods. He said the Massachuset had joined with the Narragansett. He claimed the Massachuset would attack Standish and his men while they were away, and the Narragansett would attack Plymouth. He even said Squanto was part of this plan.

The Governor and his advisors talked it over. They decided that canceling the trading trip was a bad idea. They desperately needed more food, and canceling would make them look scared. This might invite an attack. So, in early April, Standish and 10 men set out in a small boat called a shallop. They took both Squanto and Hobomok with them, as Bradford said, "in regarde of the jelocie between them" (because of the rivalry between them).

Later Stories About Hobomok

Many stories say Hobomok became a Christian and was well-liked by the English until he died in 1642. He passed away from a European disease that he caught from his close English friends. Hobomok was part of the Wampanoag tribe, whose name in the Algonquian language means "People of the Dawn." Other Native Americans were said to fear Hobomok so much that they would leave a battle when they saw him.

It is said that Massasoit, the Wampanoag leader, specifically asked Hobomok to help the Pilgrims. Hobomok's memory lives on in the names of several places in and around modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts.

The Spirit Hobbamock

Hobomok's name might have been a special name, because "Hobbamock" was also the name of a powerful spirit called a manitou. In the traditions of the Quinnipiac people, the giant stone spirit Hobbomock is a famous figure in many stories. One story says Hobbomock became very angry about how his people were treated. He stomped his foot down in anger, which changed the path of the Connecticut River. To stop him from causing more trouble, a good spirit named Keitan cast a spell on Hobbomock. This spell made Hobbomock sleep forever as the famous Sleeping Giant Mountain.

A Pocomtuc story tells that Pocumtuck Ridge and Sugarloaf Mountain are the remains of a giant beaver. This beaver was killed by the giant spirit Hobomok.

The Wangunk tribe believed that earthquakes were caused by an angry Hobbamock.

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