Sachems and sagamores are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern

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, including the

Iroquois The Iroquois ( ), also known as the Five Nations, and later as the Six Nations from 1722 onwards; alternatively referred to by the Endonym and exonym, endonym Haudenosaunee ( ; ) are an Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian-speaking Confederation#Ind ...

. The two words are

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s of

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terms (c. 1622) from different

Eastern Algonquian languages The Eastern Algonquian languages constitute a subgroup of the Algonquian languages. Prior to European contact, Eastern Algonquian consisted of at least 17 languages, whose speakers collectively occupied the Atlantic coast of North America and adj ...

. Some sources indicate the sagamore was a lesser chief elected by a single band, while the sachem was the head or representative elected by a tribe or group of bands; others suggest the two terms were interchangeable. The positions are elective, not hereditary. Although not strictly hereditary the title of Sachem is often passed through the equivalent of tanistry.

Etymology

The

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found a use from 1613. The term "Sagamore" appears in

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's first ''An American Dictionary of the English Language'' published in 1828, as well as the 1917 ''Webster's New International Dictionary''. One modern source explains:

According to Captain John Smith, who explored New England in 1614, the Massachusett tribes called their kings "sachems" while the Penobscots (of present-day Maine) used the term "sagamos" (anglicized as "sagamore"). Conversely, Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley of Roxbury wrote in 1631 that the kings in the Massachusetts Bay bay area were called sagamores, but were called sachems southward (in Plymouth). The two terms apparently came from the same root. Although "sagamore" has sometimes been defined by colonists and historians as a subordinate lord (or subordinate chief), modern opinion is that "sachem" and "sagamore" are dialectical variations of the same word.

Cognate words

Chiefs

The "great chief" (Southern New England Algonquian: ''massasoit sachem'') whose aid was such a boon to the

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—although his motives were complex—is remembered today as simply Massasoit. Another sachem, Mahomet Weyonomon of the Mohegan tribe, travelled to

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in 1735, to petition King George II for fairer treatment of his people. He complained that their lands were becoming overrun by encroachment from white settlers. Other sachems included Uncas, Wonalancet, Madockawando, and Samoset.

In popular culture

Government and politics

* The leader of New York City's

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was officially referred to as Sachem. *In the 1940s, the legislature of

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created the honorary title of " Sagamore of the Wabash", analogous to Kentucky Colonel. In 1996, the government designated "Sachem of the Wabash" as a higher honor.

Schools

* Sachem School District, on

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, one of the largest school districts on the island. * Algonquin Regional High School, in

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, named its art and poetry magazine ''Sachem'' after this Algonquian word. * Laconia High School, in Laconia, NH, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems". * Middleborough High School, in Middleboro, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems". * Pentucket Regional High School, in West Newbury, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems". * Saugus High School, in Saugus, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems". * Massapequa High School, in Massapequa, NY, named its annual student yearbook ''The Sachem.'' *The Sachems, a

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References

{{Wiktionary, sachem, sagamore Algonquian peoples Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands Titles and offices of Native American leaders *