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Native American Tribes of Massachusetts

Welcome to our Massachusetts State Facts section, part of an educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each Massachusetts tribe, or scroll below the map for Massachusetts Indian activities including a wordsearch, fact sheets, and words from the Native American languages of Massachusetts. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

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American Indians in Massachusetts

Did you know the name "Massachusetts" is an Algonquian Indian word? It comes from the Wampanoag word Massachuset, which means "by the range of hills." The Wampanoag Indians were not the only native people of this region, however.

The original inhabitants of the area that is now Massachusetts included:

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The Wampanoag tribes (including the Nauset, Nantucket,

Pennacook, Pokanoket, and Pocasset)

The Mohegan tribe (including the Nipmuc and Pequot)

The Mohican tribe (including the Pocumtuc)

There are two federally recognized Indian tribes in Massachusetts today.

Here are the addresses of Massachusetts' Indian reservations:

1 Aquinnah Wampanoag Tribe:
State Road
Gay Head, MA 02535
http://www.wampanoagtribe.net/

Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe:
P. O. Box 1048
Mashpee, MA 02649
http://mashpeewampanoagtribe.com/

Other Indian tribes, bands and communities remaining in Massachusetts today include:

Chappaquiddick Tribe of the Wampanoag Indian Nation
232 North Main St
Andover, MA 01810
http://www.chappaquiddick-wampanoag.org

Chappiquiddic Band of Massachuset
P.O. Box 3931
Pocasset, MA 02559
http://chappiquiddic.org/

Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People:
PO Box 554
Franklin, MA 02038
http://www.cowasuck.org/

Hassanamisco Nipmuc Tribe:
Hassanamisco Reservation
Grafton, MA 01519

Teaching and learning activities for schools about Massachusetts Indian tribes:

Feel free to print these out to use at school!

Massachusetts Native Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of Massachusetts' Indian tribes.

Massachusetts Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native Massachusetts languages.

Massachusetts Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of Massachusetts animals.

Massachusetts Indian Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the tribes of Massachusetts.
We currently have pages for the Wampanoag, Mohegan, Pequot, Pennacook, Nipmuc, and Mohican tribes.

Recommended books about Massachusetts Native Americans
(Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links)

Clambake: A Wampanoag Tradition:
A wonderful picture book about a contemporary Massachusetts Indian boy.

Behind the Frontier: Indians in Eighteenth-Century Eastern Massachusetts:
Detailed history of the Massachusetts Indian tribes.

Massachusetts Indians:
Introducing Massachusetts' Native American history and culture to kids.

Encyclopedia of Massachusetts Indians:
Thorough reference book about the Native American tribes of Massachusetts.

Children of the Morning Light:
Lovely collection of Massachusett Indian legends.

Dispossession by Degrees: Indian Land and Identity in Natick, Massachusetts:
History of the Natick Indians and their cultural survival strategies.

King Philip's War: The History and Legacy of America's Forgotten Conflict

The Name of War:
King Philip's War: Colonial Expansion, Native Resistance, and the End of Indian Sovereignty:
History books about the Wampanoag war with the English in colonial Massachusetts.

Native American Place Names of Massachusetts:
The native etymology of present-day place-names in Massachusetts.

Other resources about American Indian history, culture and society in Massachusetts state:

Massachusetts Center for Native American Awareness: Cultural heritage association for Native American people in Massachusetts.

Indian Tribes of Massachusetts: Information on several different Wampanoag subdivisions and their locations.

Indians 101: Massachusetts Prior to the Pilgrims: History of the indigenous peoples of Massachusetts.

Massachusets History: Historical and genealogical information about the Natick, Patuxet, and other Wampanoag people of Massachusetts.