Native Languages of the Americas: Wampanoag Indian Legends
This is our collection of links to Wampanoag folktales and traditional stories that can be read online.
We have indexed our Native American legends section
by tribe to make them easier to locate; however, variants on the same
legend are often told by American Indians from different tribes, especially if those tribes are kinfolk or neighbors to
each other. In particular, though these legends come from the Wampanoag, the traditional stories of
related tribes like the Mohegan and
Mohican tribes are very similar.
Enjoy the stories! If you would like to recommend a Wampanoag legend for this page or think one of the ones on here
should be removed, please contact us and let us know.
˜Kehtannit (also spelled
Kiehtan, Kehtean, Keihtanit, Kehtanit, and several other ways.) This means "Great Spirit" in the Wampanoag language, and is the Wampanoag name for
the Creator (God.) Kehtannit is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes
(including gender) and is never personified in Wampanoag folklore. The name is pronounced
similar to kay-tan-nit.
˜Moshup (also spelled Maushup, Maushop, and several other ways.)
Moshup is a giant who is the culture hero of the Mohegan and Wampanoag tribes (sometimes referred to as a "transformer" by folklorists.)
His name is pronounced moh-shup or maw-shup, and he has a wife named Squannit (also spelled Squant, Squaunt, or Squauanit.)
Moshup shares some similarities with other Algonquian heroes such as the Wabanaki
Glooskap.
Native American culture
Moshup the Giant 
Moshup 
