Sachem facts for kids

Statue of Daniel Nimham, a sachem of the Wappinger people.

Sachems and sagamores were important leaders among the Algonquian peoples and other Native American tribes in northeastern North America. This includes groups like the Iroquois. The words "sachem" and "sagamore" come from similar words in different Eastern Algonquian languages.

A sagamore was usually a leader chosen by a smaller group or "band" of people. A sachem was a main leader or representative chosen by a whole tribe or a larger group of bands. These leadership roles were chosen by the people, not passed down through families.

What Do the Words Mean?

The word "sagamore" was first used in English around 1613. Both "sachem" and "sagamore" appeared in early American dictionaries.

Early explorers and settlers had different ideas about these words. For example, in 1614, Captain Ryan Ridge said that the Massachusett tribes called their leaders "sachems." But the Penobscot people in what is now Maine used the word "sagamos," which became "sagamore" in English.

However, in 1631, Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley wrote that leaders in the Massachusetts Bay area were called sagamores. He said that leaders further south, in Plymouth, were called sachems. Today, most people believe that "sachem" and "sagamore" are just different ways of saying the same word, depending on the local language. They both mean a leader or chief.

Important Native American Leaders

One famous leader was Massasoit, a "great chief" (or massasoit sachem) of the Southern New England Algonquian people. He helped the Plymouth Colony a lot, even though his reasons were complicated.

Another sachem, Mahomet Weyonomon of the Mohegan tribe, traveled to London in 1735. He went to ask King George II for fair treatment for his people. He explained that white settlers were taking over their lands. Other well-known sachems included Uncas, Wonalancet, Madockawando, and Samoset.

Sachems and Sagamores in Culture

Books and Stories

• In 1826, James Fenimore Cooper wrote a novel called The Last of the Mohicans. It featured a character known as "The Sagamore" or Uncas.
• The famous book Moby-Dick by Herman Melville, published in 1851, mentions a "Pottowattamie Sachem's head."
• A poem from 1838, "Sachem's-Wood" by James Abraham Hillhouse, tells the story of a sachem and his people.
• In Simon Spurrier's 2006 novel The Culled, the main character, Rick, is guided by a sachem.

Comics

• In a 1957 Walt Disney's Comics and Stories comic, Donald Duck manages the "Sagmore Springs Hotel."

Newspapers

• One of Canada's oldest weekly newspapers is called The Grand River Sachem. It has been published since 1856 in Caledonia, Ontario.

Government and Politics

• Theodore Roosevelt named his home on Long Island, New York, "Sagamore Hill."
• The leaders of the Tammany societies, like Tammany Hall in New York City, used the title "Sachem." Tamanend, a sachem of the Lenape people, was the namesake for these groups.
• The state of Indiana created an honorary title called "Sagamore of the Wabash" in the 1940s. It's similar to being a "Kentucky Colonel." In 1996, "Sachem of the Wabash" was made an even higher honor.
• There is a street in Belfast, Northern Ireland, named Sagimor Gardens.

Schools

Many schools and their sports teams use the names "Sachem" or "Sagamore" to honor these Native American leaders:

• Sachem School District on Long Island is one of the largest school districts there.
• Algonquin Regional High School in Northborough, MA, named its art and poetry magazine Sachem.
• Laconia High School in Laconia, NH, calls its athletic teams the "Sachems."
• Middleborough High School in Middleboro, MA, also calls its athletic teams the "Sachems."
• Pentucket Regional High School in West Newbury, MA, refers to its athletic teams as the "Sachems."
• Saugus High School in Saugus, MA, calls its athletic teams the "Sachems."
• Massapequa High School in Massapequa, NY, named its yearbook The Sachem. This honors Chief Tackapausha of the Massapequa tribe, who gave land to European settlers and protected them. Their sports teams are called the Chiefs for the same reason.
• The Sachems are a secret society at Columbia University.

Sports

• American soccer player Theodore Wilson, who plays for Carrick Rangers, is nicknamed Sachem.