Native Americans - Massachusetts

Part 7 of an ongoing series on the history of Native American Territory as told through maps. This series is tagged as "Native American Map Series". It is recommended to visit all the Further Info links listed below for further study.

Native Americans - Massachusetts

Did you know the name "Massachusetts" is an Algonquian Indian word? It means "by the range of hills."

Early Contacts with Europeans
Prior to the well known Pilgrim arrival in 1620, the indigenous population had  numerous contacts with European explores along the coast. Starting in 1602, trading  with the Wampanoag and camps on Cape Cod were established.In 1605, French explorers led by Samuel de Champlain explored the Massachusetts coast. In 1605, French explorers led by Samuel de Champlain explored the Massachusetts coast and marveled at the abundant crops of corn, beans, squash, tobacco being cultivated by the Natives.

Disease
Between 1616 and 1619, it is estimated that at least three fourths of the Indian population in Massachusetts died from European epidemic diseases. Some authorities estimate the death toll at 90%.

The Pilgrims
When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they encountered few living people but saw evidence of many Indian graves.

Tribal Areas
The original inhabitants of the area that is now Massachusetts:

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Statistics on the Catastrophic Population Decline

When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they found that much of the former Wampanoag towns had been decimated by a plague that spread through the population in 1617 and 1618.  Entire village had been wiped off the map. 

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Thanksgiving

• Every American is all too familiar with the origins of Thanksgiving as a feast of togetherness between the natives and the Pilgrims. Thanksgiving at Plymouth. Details prove it wasn't quite that simple: A different take on Thanksgiving

Further Info

• Massachusetts - Native American history
• Native American Roots
• Native American Tribes of Massachusetts
• Indigenous Peoples of Massachusetts
• Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness