Pumham (died 1676) (also known as Pomham) was one of
Metacomet
Metacomet (c. 1638 in Massachusetts – August 12, 1676), also known as Pometacom, Metacom, and by his adopted English name King Philip,[King Phillip's War
King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands ...](_blank)
. He was
sachem
Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Alg ...
of
Shawomet.
[ He was described as "one of the stoutest and most valiant sachems that belonged to the Narragansett." He was friends with English settlers, but aligned himself with Metacomet when war broke out.
]
Early life
Pumham was allied with the Massachusetts Bay colony, who claimed the lands of Shawomet, today Warwick, Rhode Island
Warwick ( or ) is a city in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States, and is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Warwick is located approximately south of downtown Pr ...
. The colony forbid anyone to live there without permission, and built a fort there to protect the area, the remains of which were still visible in 2000. This fort was built on the site of Pumham's village.
King Phillip's War
As tensions mounted, Pumham began encouraging defiance, and not peace, with the colonists. During the war, Pumham used the fort Shawomet.
On July 4, 1675, Governor John Leverett
John Leverett (baptized 7 July 1616 – 16 March 1678/79In the Julian calendar, then in use in England, the year began on 25 March. To avoid confusion with dates in the Gregorian calendar, then in use in other parts of Europe, dates between Ja ...
sent Edward Hutchinson to sign a treaty with the Narragansets whereby they would agree not to harbor any of Metacomet's people. Hutchinson decided "to treat with the Narragansets sword in hand," and forced Pumham to sign on July 15. Pumham and his people ignored the treaty as soon as the colonists left.
Pumham was captured in Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham ( ) is a New England town, town in, and the county seat of, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Located on Boston's southwestern border, the population was 25,364 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census.
First settled by E ...
on July 25, 1676.[ Several Christian Indians had seen his band in the woods, including his son and other family members, nearly starved to death. Captain Samuel Hunting led 36 men from Dedham and ]Medfield
Medfield is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,799 according to the 2020 United States Census. It is a community about southwest of Boston, Massachusetts, which is a 40-minute drive to Downtown Bost ...
and joined 90 Indians on a hunt to find them. A total of 15 of the Ponham's band were killed and 35 were captured. Pumham, with a bullet in his back and so wounded he could not stand, hid in the bushes with this hatchet. He grabbed hold of an English soldier and would have killed him had one of the settler's compatriots not come to his rescue. Pumham died in the fight.
Notes
References
Works cited
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* {{cite journal, title=Pomham And His Fort, pages=31–36, journal=Rhode Island Historical Society Collections, date=January 1918, volume=XI, issue=1, url=https://archive.org/details/rhodeislandhisto16rhod/page/n39
Year of birth unknown
1676 deaths
People of King Philip's War
Native American leaders
Wampanoag people
Native American history of Massachusetts