Weetamoo was a female chief of the Pocasset Wampanoag Nation, wife of Chief Wamsutta (l. c. 1634-1662) of the Wampanoag Confederacy, and sister-in-law of Metacomet (also known as King Philip, l. 1638-1676).
She served as a war chief in King Philip's War (1675-1678) and is best known for the Lancaster Raid of 10 February 1676, during which colonist Mary Rowlandson (l. c. 1637-1711), famous for her later captivity narrative, was taken prisoner.
Rowlandson described her as an impressive figure with a commanding personality who dressed purposefully to convey her standing as an individual of authority. Weetamoo's reputation as a fearless leader became legendary among the colonists and, after her death by drowning, her corpse was beheaded, and the head was placed as a trophy outside of the fort at Taunton, Massachusetts, although they had nothing to do with her death. She is remembered by her people as a great freedom fighter and symbol of resistance to colonial policies of land theft and enslavement of indigenous peoples.
womenfromhistory_bot ~ The history of Native American women, Weetamoo ~
Show moreWeetamoo was a female chief of the Pocasset Wampanoag Nation, wife of Chief Wamsutta (l. c. 1634-1662) of the Wampanoag Confederacy, and sister-in-law of Metacomet (also known as King Philip, l. 1638-1676).
She served as a war chief in King Philip's War (1675-1678) and is best known for the Lancaster Raid of 10 February 1676, during which colonist Mary Rowlandson (l. c. 1637-1711), famous for her later captivity narrative, was taken prisoner.
Rowlandson described her as an impressive figure with a commanding personality who dressed purposefully to convey her standing as an individual of authority. Weetamoo's reputation as a fearless leader became legendary among the colonists and, after her death by drowning, her corpse was beheaded, and the head was placed as a trophy outside of the fort at Taunton, Massachusetts, although they had nothing to do with her death. She is remembered by her people as a great freedom fighter and symbol of resistance to colonial policies of land theft and enslavement of indigenous peoples.
Illustration : Weetamoo, by John Frost (1873)
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