The English name "Chief Gray Lock" may have actually been referring to two different Abenaki leaders.
The first Gray Lock, although a chief of the Missisquoi Abenakis in Vermont, was said to have taken part in
King Philip's War, which took place during the 1670's, and may have been a Wampanoag refugee who
later became a leader of the Abenakis. His name was given as "Wabantep" in one source, which resembles
the words for "white head" in both the Abenaki and Wampanoag languages. Later, in the 1720's, a Missisquoi
war leader also known as Gray Lock fought a series of successful battles against Massachusetts colonists.
This warrior's personal name was given as Wawenorrawot or Wawanolewat, which resemble Abenaki words
meaning "fools the enemy." It is possible that these descriptions referred to the same chief under two different
names, since Algonquian men, especially warriors, frequently adopted new names as they accomplished new
deeds. However, it seems unlikely that an already gray-haired leader in the 1670's would still be actively
leading war parties 50 years later. More likely the second chief was the son or even grandson of the first one,
and the appellation "Gray Lock" was given to him by the English in approximation of an English-style last name,
since it had been his father's name.
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