Massaco facts for kids
Massaco was a place where Native American people lived a long time ago. It was near where the towns of Simsbury and Canton are today in Connecticut. These people were part of a larger group called the Tunxis, who spoke an Algonquian language. They lived along the Farmington River.
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Who Were the Massaco People?
The Massaco people were a small group of Native Americans. They were part of the Tunxis, who were also part of the Wappinger people. They lived in the 1600s and early 1700s. Their homes were along the banks of the Farmington River.
Early Encounters with Europeans
Dutch settlers were some of the first Europeans to meet the Massaco people. This happened at the start of the 1600s. The Dutch called the river where these people lived the Massaco. Over time, the name Massaco came to mean many things. It referred to the Native Americans themselves. It also meant the river, their village, and the land next to the river.
How Massaco Land Changed Hands
The land known as Massaco eventually became part of the European settlements. This happened because of an event involving a local Native man named Manahanoos. He caused some tar belonging to a European settler, John Griffin, to burn.
The Wampum Payment
To make up for the lost tar, Manahanoos was asked to pay a large amount of wampum. Wampum was a type of shell bead used as money or for important agreements. The amount was 500 fathoms, which is about 914 meters, of wampum. This was a very large amount. The local Native Americans did not have that much wampum.
The Land Transfer
Because they could not pay the wampum, the sachem, or leader, of the Native community made a deal. He gave the land to John Griffin instead. This land was called the "Massaco Division." It included the areas around what are now the towns of Canton and Simsbury. It also included parts of Granby, Connecticut. This is how the Massaco land became part of the European settlements.
