USA > Connecticut > Tercentenary pamphlet series, v. 1 Connecticut and the British Government > Part 42
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The Saukiogs
THE name Saukiog, sometimes written Sicaog, in Algon- kin, denotes a place where the ground is dark.
The chief sachem, who ruled here at Hartford when the English arrived, also ruled over another sub-tribe to the westward. It was Sequassen, the son of Sequin, alias So- heage of Pyquag, now Wethersfield. The Saukiog hunt- ing ground was partly sold by the Pequots to the Dutch in 1632.
7 For information regarding the descendants of Uncas and Mohegans, now living in Connecticut, see extract from the Forty-Third Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Native Tribes and Dialects of Connecticut, by Frank G. Speck.
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We have already seen that the Pequots were not the rightful owners of the land and that the English had set- tled at Hartford in 1636; they bought from Sequassen, the Saukiog territory which now includes the cities of Hartford and West Hartford.
The records show that after Sequassen had fought three battles with the Pequots he was completely overthrown. Consequently he was friendly to the English for the res- toration of his sachemdom. For almost a century the Saukiogs lived near the town of Hartford, as neighbors to the English. It was in the year 1730 that they moved westward and joined the Tunxis tribe.
Soon after the settlement was made at Hartford by the English we find the Saukiogs and Mohegans in a quarrel. Uncas complained to Governor Haynes, who summoned the two sachems, Sequassen and Uncas, to appear before him, attempting to reconcile the two. Uncas claimed that Saukiog warriors had killed a leading Mohegan and that he must have six of Sequassen's men, in lieu for the loss of one Mohegan. It was disclosed that the one who actually murdered the Mohegan was also a leading man of the Saukiog tribe and a relation to the grand sachem of the Narragansetts, Miantonomo. Sequassen refused to sur- render him, depending upon the powerful Narragansetts for assistance in case of war. The magistrates at Hartford dismissed the case and gave Uncas the privilege of aveng- ing his own wrongs. The Mohegans invaded Sequassen's territory, killed several warriors and wounded others, burned wigwams, and carried away plunder. The Narra- gansetts upon hearing the news, at once went to attack the Mohegans, which resulted in the capture and death of Miantonomo.
Sequassen was angry because the whites favored Un- cas, his hated enemy. He resorted to foul trickery when
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he planned to hire an assassin at Waranoak (Westfield, Mass.) to murder Governor Haynes, Governor Hopkins, and Mr. Whiting, and then blame Uncas and his Mohe- gans for having committed the deed, thus setting the English against Uncas. The Waranoak Indian, instead of murdering the three white men, revealed the plot to them. Uncas was sent to bring in Sequassen who fled to Pocomtock (Deerfield, Mass.). The Mohegan warriors captured Sequassen and brought him back to Hartford, where he lay several weeks in prison. Nothing was proved against him and he was set free. It is possible, in fact very probable, that the whole scheme had been hatched out by Uncas himself and that he had hired the Waranoak Indian to accuse Sequassen.
In 1656, we find Sequassen and Uncas friends again. Another murder was committed. This time a young Po- dunk named Weaseapano had murdered a sagamore of Mattabesec (Middletown), who was a relative to Se- quassen. Uncas gladly offered to assist the Saukiogs to seize the criminal, who took refuge in the Podunk fort on the north bank of the Hockanum River in East Hartford, where Tontonimo, sachem at the Podunk winter village was in charge. Again the Indians brought the matter before the magistrates of Connecticut at Hartford. Sequassen and Foxen (alias Poxen), Uncas' councillor, declaimed against the Podunks for harboring the culprit. The Podunks pleaded that Weaseapano was justified in committing the deed, for said they, the dead sagamore had killed Weaseapano's uncle. The court failed to pacify either party but the Podunks offered a quantity of wam- pum as satisfaction to the injured parties. Sequassen and Uncas refused to accept it and Tontonimo refused to give up the murderer. At last the governor left the matter to the Indians to settle between themselves, "only they
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should not fight on the west side of the river, nor injure any of the English on the other side."8
Uncas gathered his warriors to attack the Podunks who were within their fort. When they saw the Mohegans on the opposite side of the Hockanum River (on the Frank Robert's farm) and on a hill later known as John Clow's Hill, the Podunks left their fort and defied the Mohegans to come and fight. Uncas, however, saw that the Po- dunks were equally as strong in number as his party, and was unwilling to hazard a battle. The story, as related by Dwight in his Travels and copied from the Colonial Rec- ords of Connecticut, is, substantially as follows: A Mohe- gan crept across the meadows at night, set fire to a wigwam and purposely dropped a Mohawk arrow. The Podunks, upon finding the Mohawk weapon thought the Mohegans had called upon their ancient enemies and quickly gave over the murderer.
Warwarme, the sister of Sequassen, ruled as sunk- squaw (queen) contemporary with her brother. Her royal wigwam stood where Colt's Park is now. The low lands there were once the cornfields of the Saukiog tribe that welcomed the founders of Hartford.
The Tunxis
THE name Tunxis is an abbreviation of the original Indi- an name of the Farmington River.
It appears as Tunckseasapose in the earliest records of the original distribution of lands at Hartford.9 In tracing the etymological sources of the name, we find that both the foregoing forms are abbreviations of the true Algon- kin phrase, Wattunkshausepo, which, translated, de- notes a fast flowing and winding river or stream.1ยบ No 8 Connecticut Colonial Records, I, 304-305.
9 Connecticut Historical Society, Collections, XIV, 196.
IO Indian Place Names in Connecticut by J. Hammond Trumbull.
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exact boundary of the Tunxis hunting ground can be given on the west. The Mohawks had subdued practi- cally all the Connecticut River tribes and no Indian warrior or hunter dared to enter the northwestern part of what is now the state of Connecticut. Yearly the Mo- hawks collected tribute from the river tribes because of their refusal of joining the Iroquois League and so this trackless wilderness was not only disputed land but verily a no-man's land. We read in the Farmington Rec- ords: "In primis, taken for granted that the magistrates [of Hartford] bought the whole [Tunxis] country to the Mohawks country, of Sequassen, the chief sachem." Not until after the destruction of the Pequots, when the Mo- hawks began to fear the whites, did aggregations of straggling bands of various tribes dare to settle at New Milford and Kent, later known as Scatacooks.
It is safe to base the area of the Tunxis territory, as it was used by them when the whites arrived, on the origi- nal land sale of 1640. This purchase included what are now the towns of Farmington, Southington, nearly the whole of New Britain and Berlin, Bristol, Burlington, Avon, and Plainfield. The Tunxis were a sub-tribe of the Saukiogs and Sequassen was the chief sachem and the tract was sold by him to the white settlers, although an- other chief is also mentioned "Pethus, sachem or gentle- man of the place," and his son Ahamo. The agreement with the Tunxis respecting the white men's title and pos- session of the tract of land was renewed in 1650, and again in 1673. The history of the Tunxis tribe is so closely interwoven with that of the Saukiogs, which we have just considered, that it remains only to give a brief sketch regarding their later existence.
The relations between the Tunxis and the settlers were usually friendly. No outbreak of a hostile character ever
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arose between them. Soon the whites laid out a reserva- tion for them, still called "The Indian Neck." Later par- cels of lands were sold and one deed was signed by twenty-six men and women. This shows once more that the Indian squaw was not the downtrodden and degraded creature of primitive man as we are so often led to believe. In his historical sketch of Farmington, Noah Porter tells us"that in 1740 the Indian boys were so many and so strong that they were esteemed more than a match for the whites of the same age." About 1750 the remnants of the tribe removed to Stockbridge and later to Oneida Coun- ty, New York, and finally to Green Bay in Wisconsin.
A small band, however, remained at Farmington for many years until the last entered into the Happy Hunting Ground.
The last full-blooded male Tunxis was buried Decem- ber 21, 1820, while the only surviving squaw stood weep- ing by the grave.
The Massacoes
LET us begin the description of this tribe by making a correction in the pronunciation of the name. Lucius I. Barber, the local historian of Simsbury, is in error when he said, Massaco is "pronounced Mas-saw'co."
All Indian place names are descriptive and Massaco describes a place as follows: Massa, large or great; agwu, low (land). Its true Algonkin pronunciation, therefore, is Massa, as in Massachusetts; and agwu, as written. If this tribe was ever a branch of the Tunxis, as some his- torians infer, it was in prehistoric times, for we find noth- ing in the records to substantiate such a belief. In fact, the Tunxis never laid claim to it. Neither Grand Sachem Sequassen nor Chief Pethus ever sold a foot of ground be-
II Memorial History of Hartford County, II, 170.
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yond the north boundary of the present towns of Avon and Burlington.
The tribal territory covered what is now Simsbury, Canton, and part of Granby, East Granby, and Bark- hamsted. On the north the Massaco hunting ground was bounded by the Agawam country, on the south it abutted the Tunxis land, on the east it extended to the lands of the Poquonocks, and on the west to the disputed terri- tory.
Their principal village was at Weatogue, the name of which, by the way, is a corruption of Wit, home; auk or og, place.
Their sachem was Manahannose, of whom it is re- corded that he "did wittingly kindle a fire" which de- stroyed a large quantity of tar belonging to John Griffin. The sachem was arrested, tried in court, and fined "five hundred fathoms of wampum." Unable to pay, the sa- chem was delivered over to Griffin, "either to serve, or to be shipped out and exchanged for negroes, as the case will justly bear." This was by order of the General Court at Hartford. To escape this penalty, Manahannose gave Griffin a deed of Massaco.12
It is well known that an Indian never forgets a kind deed, nor does he ever forget a wrong act committed against him.
During King Philip's War, some of the Massaco war- riors joined Philip's men, while others remained at home. It was on March 26, 1676, when King Philip and his warriors appeared to avenge the injury done to the Mas- saco tribe. The white settlers had already fled to neigh- boring towns. Philip's warriors applied the torch to all the buildings in the deserted town, and forty dwelling houses, with barns and other buildings, were consumed.
12 Ibid., II, 341.
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Tradition tells us that King Philip and his councillors were in a cavern on the Talcott Mountain range, watch- ing any movement of white men along the paths leading to Simsbury, while his men were engaged in the burning of the town. Those of the Massaco tribe who remained at home remembered what had happened to their sachem when the fire he kindled destroyed Griffin's tar, so that remnant removed into the western forest and settled on the banks of the Housatonic River, where later they were joined by others of various tribes and finally settled at Kent, when the Scatacooks were established there.
The Agawams
THE name Agawam is derived from the Algonkin agwu, low (land); wame, whole or wholly. It describes a place, the level of which is lower than the surrounding land-a meadow.
This tribe was a branch of the Pocomtock confedera- tion the headquarters of which were at Deerfield, Mass.
Their tribal territory extended on the south into what is now Connecticut, and comprises what are the present towns of Suffield, Hartland, and parts of Granby, East Granby, and Enfield. On the east it extended to the Nipmuck country, and on the west to the disputed land. Besides the Podunk path on the east side of the Con- necticut River, the great "Maya" or trail that led from Quinnipiac (New Haven) to Canada, left the state here at Mayawauk, now West Suffield. Maya means way or path; auk, place. This path is called in ancient records the Hampton and Westfield path, and the path to Wara- noak, now Westfield, Mass. Close to the Connecticut state border the Agawams seem to have had two princi- pal villages : one at Agawam, the other at Wenekei-amaug (now Congamond), where they had, besides a large vil-
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lage, numerous camp sites which we find southward to Manatuck Mountain.
Among the many local names in this section on the west side of the river, we find at least one which is of interest. In the town of Suffield, is Musketo-Hawk Plain, and a little study in etymology will quickly disclose the origin of this name. Muskeht translated means grass, Muskehtu, green; and auk means place. So we find that the Indians named the place, grass-place or green-place.
Two sachems on the west side of the Connecticut River who sold the lands were Pampunkshat and Mishnousqus. On the east side ruled Totaps, alias Nottatuck.
Local Algonkin names on the east side that have come down to us are Scitico, a village, and Asnuntuck and Poggotossur, two brooks which formed the bounds of a land purchase in Enfield.
The Nipmucks
THE Nipmuck country, after the invasion by the Pe- quots, extended into Connecticut only as far south as Moshenupsuck (now Snipsic Lake at Rockville), but originally it abutted on the Nehantic territory in the vicinity of Willimantic. The headquarters of the tribe were around what is now Webster, Mass., but there were numerous Nipmuck villages within the present boundary of Connecticut. That section within the state was known as Wabbaquasset, and often those bands of families who lived here were called Quinebaugs which means long- lake. The present towns of Somers, Stafford, Union, Woodstock, Thompson, Putnam, and parts of Ellington, Tolland, Willington, Ashford, Eastford, Pomfret, and Killingly were once Nipmuck hunting ground.
No grand sachem ruled over the many bands or clans of Nipmuck families and all seem to have been subjects
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of other more powerful tribes living about them. This condition may have been caused, as Mohegan tradition seems to substantiate, by their resistance against the Pequot invasion.
According to this tradition, the Nipmucks fought, as did the Podunks, the Pequot intruders for many years. Smallpox too, just before the Pilgrims arrived, undoubt- edly reduced their number.
There are but few records concerning this tribe, conse- quently little can be said about them. Those who lived within the present bounds of Connecticut were subject to Uncas, the Mohegan, after the annihilation of the Pequots.
The names of their chieftains which have come down to us are, Allups, or Hyems, Mashaushawit, and Quinna- tisset. John Eliot preached the Gospel among them for years and many accepted Christianity as their religion. Eliot translated the Bible into the Natick-Nipmuck dia- lect. Samson Occom, the Mohegan preacher, also visited them a few times. Many were admitted as members of English churches.
There are no full-blooded Nipmucks alive today. Those who claim to be Nipmucks are part negro.
The Western Nehantic
WE have already seen that the Pequots, when they in- vaded Connecticut, cut the Nehantic tribe in two. The eastern portion practically joined the Narragansetts and lived entirely in what is now the state of Rhode Island.
The territory of those known in history as the Western Nehantics extended from Long Island Sound on the south to the Pequot hunting ground on the north. Uncas' domain later formed the northern boundary and still later their north boundary abutted on what was called the Mohegan country.
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We have already considered the original Nehantic boundary on the north before the Pequot invasion, and there is little or no doubt that it extended northward to Willimantic. On the east this territory was bounded by the Niantic River and on the west by the Connecticut River. They seem to have had their principal village or seat of government on Black Point-hence the name, Nehant, narrow; auk or ac, place.
Attawanhoot, called Joshua Sachem in the records, the third son of Uncas, became their chief and after his mar- riage to the daughter of the last chief of the Podunks, as we have already seen, became owner of all the Podunk lands which he freely sold to the whites, as he did the Mohegan lands, but never did he or anyone else sell Nehantic lands to the white settlers.
Often this tribe, as was the case with all others in Con- necticut, was attacked by the Mohawks, but was on friendly terms with the Pequots. In fact, their last sa- chem, Yummamum, was a Pequot. In later years, some of the Nehantic families removed to Oneida County, New York, so that in 1850, only ten individuals lived at Niantic. At present (1933) there are but two full-blooded Western Nehantics alive, Siota A. Nonsuch and his son.
The present townships within this Indian territory are: Lyme, Old Lyme, East Lyme, and Waterford.
The Wangunks
OFTEN we find the name of this tribe written Wangum, which of course is wrong. Wangunk in Algonkin means a bend and this name was adopted because this tribe had its seat of government up to the time of the coming of the earliest settlers at Pyquag (Wethersfield) which was at the "wangunk," that is, the bend in the Connecticut River at that time. Sequin or Soheage, the earliest grand sachem
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of this tribe was the father of Sequassen, sachem at Sau- kiog (Hartford); Warwarme, who also ruled with her brother Sequassen at Hartford, and Montowese, sachem in the northern part of the Quinnipiac territory, and Turramuggus, who in later years was a petty chief on the east side of the Connecticut River, where he lived near the lake which still bears his name, in the town of Marl- boro, were also children of Sequin. The Dutch traded with this tribe before the English arrived in Connecticut and we find the name of the grand sachem recorded as Soheage, Sowheage, Seaqeen, and Sequin. It is evident that some writers were misled, as for example Benjamin Trumbull in his History of Connecticut,13 when he made two persons out of one, mentioning both Sequin, a sa- chem at Pyquag, and a greater sachem named Sowheag at Mattabesec, now Middletown. The fact is the Wan- gunks removed their seat of government from Wethers- field to Middletown and the two names have misled writers on the subject.
The Wangunk territory was bounded on the north by the Podunk and Saukiog lands, on the south by the hunt- ing grounds of the Hammonasset and Menunketuck tribes, on the east by the Mohican-Pequot country, and on the west by the lands of the Tunxis and Quinnipiacs.
Like all other river tribes they fought against Mo- hawk supremacy just previous to the beginning of written history in Connecticut and later against the Pequots.
Many Indian place names of the Wangunks have come down to us. We may call to mind a few which are pre- cious to many, who, in childhood days, have learned the names of mountains, lakes, and brooks, never to be for- gotten: Minnechaug, Kongscut, Somersic, Ashanat, Nameag, Washiac, Nyac, Pegansic, Naubuc, Paugetu- 13 I, 27.
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paug, Pocowset, Machemoodus, Tomheganompsket, and many others.
After the Wangunks had sold all their lands, many joined other tribes, so that in 1764 only between thirty to forty persons were living who called themselves mem- bers of the tribe. Their last sachem was Cushoy, whose aged and blind widow, named Tike, was supported by the town. All gradually disappeared, so that in 1785 none lived within their ancient hunting ground and as De Forest puts it, "Thus ended the National existence of the Wangunks." The present towns within the Wangunk territory are: Wethersfield, Newington, Rocky Hill, Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, Middletown, Mid- dlefield, Durham, Haddam, Chester, and part of Glas- tonbury, New Britain, Berlin, Meriden, East Haddam, Marlboro, Colchester, and Killingworth.
The Quinnipiacs
THE mishimayagat (great trail) from Shawmut (Boston) to Manhattan followed the shore between Rhode Island and New York, excepting the section from Guilford to North Haven. Here it turned, hence the name Quinnipiac which is a corrupted form of quinnuppin-uk; that is, turning about, or, changing its course.
Here where the trail turned southwestward to what is now New Haven, this tribe had its principal village, and the name Quinnipiac was preserved, for there is still a village by that name.
Their tribal government was divided, to the south Momauguin was sachem and in the northern part ruled Montowese (son of Sequin, grand sachem of the Wan- gunks), whose mother presented him with that part of the territory.
The entire territory was purchased by the New Haven
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Colony from Momauguin and Montowese. It is bounded on the north by the lands of the Tunxis; on the south by Long Island Sound; on the east by the Wangunk and Menunketuck countries; and on the west by the Paugus- sett territory. It includes the present towns of Meriden, Cheshire, Wallingford, Hamden, North Haven, East Haven, New Haven, Branford, North Branford, and part of Bethany, Prospect, New Britain, and the eastern corner of Waterbury.
The names of Indians which appear in the New Haven records are too numerous to mention. Soon after they sold their lands, those governed by Momauguin joined with those under Montowese and in 1768 some of them removed to Farmington and from thence emigrated westward and joined the Scatacooks at Kent.
The Indian village Quinnipiac surely was a metropolis in prehistoric times, for besides the shore path leading from Boston to New York, which passed through this village, three great paths extended northward. The east- ern path led to Mattabesec (Middletown), to Pyquag (Wethersfield), and to Saukiog, now Hartford. The west- ern path extended through Tunxis (Farmington), Massa- co (Simsbury), and Waranoak (Westfield, Mass.) to Canada. The middle trail guided the traveller through the forest direct to Hartford, branching at Berlin towards Wethersfield.
The Poquonocks
THE name of this tribe is derived from pohquae, open or cleared, and auk or og, place. The Poquonock territory in- cludes the present townships of Windsor, Windsor Locks, and part of East Granby and Bloomfield. Their principal village was, when the white settlers arrived, on the Farm- ington River, still known as Poquonock. They had two
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other large villages, one north, the other south of their headquarters. The northern village was known as Matta- comacok, the southern Matianuck. At Pine Meadow, south of Windsor Locks, one of their burying places was investigated years ago and a string of copper beads was found in one of the graves.
Their hunting ground was bounded on the north by the Agawam country, on the south by the land of the Saukiogs, on the east by the Connecticut River, and on the west by the Massaco and Tunxis land.
After his restoration, Nattawanute, the sachem who in 1633 sold a tract of land in the Podunk territory, the first land sale on record, lived near Matianuck. He died a victim of smallpox which had broken out among the Indians during the spring of 1634.
The earliest sachem of the tribe mentioned in the rec- ords is Sehat, also written Sheat. His successor, Nassa- hegan, often called "the gentleman of Windsor," was his nephew and was the last sachem. His son, Sepanquet, and Toquash and Pattackhouse, sisters to Nassahegan, sold lands and their names appear in the records as grantors.
Others who signed deeds were Repequam, Anannawer, Cocherwind, and Coggerynosset and his sister Asuthew.
After the white settlers were permanently organized, the Poquonocks gradually removed into the western for- est. Some joined the Tunxis and with them emigrated later to the Housatonic River where they joined the Sca- tacooks at Kent. In 1762 only one Indian family lived at Windsor.
The Hammonassets
VERY little is known of this tribe, which for some reason adopted the name Hammonasset for their hunting ground, a word, translated, that means "where we dig the ground."
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The records inform us that Sebequanash was sachem and that his daughter married the great Uncas, the Mo- hegan. After his marriage, Uncas ruled over this tribe, in fact sold their entire territory which was bounded on the north by the Wangunk country, on the south by Long Island Sound, on the east by the Connecticut River, and on the west by the East River, which the Indians called Aigicomock.
Perhaps many families of this tribe joined the Mohe- gans after Uncas had sold their lands, but it is common knowledge among the older folks living in the vicinity of Clinton, that a few Hammonasset families lived in the northern part of Killingworth up to the beginning of the nineteenth century. They had summer villages at Madi- son and Clinton and one winter village on the bank of the Hammonasset River, a few miles northward from the coast.
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