Wampanoags And Pilgrims
Will there ever be a just peace between Native Americans and European Americans?
All of the Remingtons in the US can trace their father's linage back to just one man, John Remington. A woman, who married into the Remington Family traced the family linage of every Remington back to their common ancestor, who crossed the Atlantic.
This is not as daunting of a task as it might seem at first. According to US Census data, there were only 5610 Remingtons living in America in 2010. Many of them came from relatively few men, just a few generations ago. For example, my great grand father Remington had 10 sons, my grand father Remington had 6 sons, and my father had 4 sons. Of course, not all Remingtons have been quite so prolific. Some of the men that came from my great grand father, did not have produce any sons - or even daughters. Still, it must have taken the former Miss Peterson years, to have traced all of these people back to a single man.
Other people have traced his ancestry back to about 800 AD. It is not that hard to do in England, if you can identify who crossed the pond (the Atlantic Ocean). Church records of marriages, births, baptisms, and deaths, have been maintained there, for about as long as England has had churches.
Here is what these church records on both sides of the pond tell about John Remington. He was born in Plymouth, England (Yorkshire) in 1621, the same year that the Pilgrims had the "first Thanksgiving" at Plymouth Colony in the New World. He married Mahatable Walker at Plymouth Colony, where the Pilgrims had settled, in 1653.
John Remington was not at that first Thanksgiving Feast, when he was an infant. Particularly, since he had graduated from the university back in England, (school records also long endure in England), before marrying Mahatable Walker in Plymouth Colony. He immigrated over to Plymouth Colony in 1637 AD. However, it is almost certain that the parents of Mahatable Walker had been at that first Thanksgiving.
Mahatable is not an English name. (Not to be confused with Mehetabel, or Mehetabeel, which are Middle Eastern names.) Walker is also a surname that many Native Americans adopted early on, as they began to adopt English names. Mahatable Walker has been reported as either a full blood Wampanoag or half Wampanoag. This would make me to either be about 1 in 32K (32,768) Wampanoag or 1 in 64K Wampanoag.
(There are no Federal benefits having this little Wampanoag in your ancestry. I have had relatives who investigated to see if there was. The Wampanoag have a blood quantum, and it is way above 1 in 32K.)
If Mahatable Walker was half Wampanoag, then I had both Pilgrim and Wampanoag ancestors at that very first Thanksgiving. (There is no chance of this on my mother's side. Her family were a bunch of Johnny-come-latelies, who did not arrive in Virginia until the 1750s.)
The truth is, that intermarriage between English men and Wampanoag women was not uncommon in Plymouth Colony. It was often a practical matter. There was generally a shortage of English women, who were willing to move to a strange land, where half of their children were likely to die before adulthood. In fact, there were only four English women left alive, when the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony. There was also a shortage of Wampanoag men, due to the tragedies that had befallen them, before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620.
The Wampanoag had encountered English fisher men, up the coast from Plymouth Rock, prior to the arrival of the Pilgrims. Unfortunately, they contacted seven day fever, which was mostly a nuisance disease for the English.
Not so, for the Wampanoag, for it decimated great numbers of their people. For example, the famous Tisquantum (aka Squanto), found that his entire band of the Wampanoag, the Patuxet, had been wiped out completely, by such an epidemic.
Then things got much worse for the Wampanoag. Their traditional enemies, the Narragansett, the Mohegan, and the Pequot tribes of Native Americans, took advantage of their much weakened condition, and waged a war of extermination against the Wampanoag. The Wampanoag, of course, fought back, but they lost many of their men in this war for their survival.
When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, the Wampanoag at Plymouth Rock were essentially trapped on the peninsula. Their traditional enemies controlled the land to the north, west and south of the land that was next to the peninsula, and the Atlantic Ocean surrounded the north, east and south sides of the peninsula. There were less than 1,000 Wampanoag left in that area, where there had been more than 10,000, ten years earlier. Of course, there were many more women and children than men, due to the war with their traditional enemies.
The Wampanoag found these English settlers, the Pilgrims, basically doing as about as badly as they were doing. The Pilgrims had largely been shop keepers and the like in England, and were totally unprepared to live in the wilderness of North America. So the Wampanoag helped them, and they helped the Wampanoag.
The Wampanoag taught the Pilgrims how to hunt and grow crops. The Pilgrims leader, William Bradford, personally gave their chief, Massasoit, medical care that saved his life, after he had contacted, what was likely seven day fever.
Also, the Wampanoag were quick to appreciate the superior firepower of a musket, over anything that their enemies possessed. So it was not long, before the Wampanoag and Pilgrims made treaty of mutual benefit and defense. The Wampanoag found friends, who could help them defend themselves against their enemies, and the Pilgrims had found friends, who could teach them how to survive and thrive in the New World.
The enemies of the Wampanoag also soon realized, that their weapons were no match for those of the Pilgrims, after they attacked the village of Massasoit, so they ended their war with the Wampanoag. So peace prevailed, as long as everyone abided by the terms of the treaty.
Things began to change as both Wampanoags and Pilgrims continued to benefit from the treaty. One of the things that Pilgrims needed, was land for farming, and to build houses on. The Wampanoag were glad to sell them land, since they had so much excess land, after being so greatly reduced in numbers, for things like metal knives and muskets. However, the mutual peace and prosperity that they enjoyed, soon created problems of its own.
There was the problem, that the success of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony inspired other English Colonies to form in New England. These other English colonies had not been party to the agreement with the Wampanoag, so they also were not bound by its terms.
While they were also separatists from the Church of England, they were quite different in how they dealt with Native Americans. The Pilgrims had reached out to the Wampanoag and the tribes around them in love, to try to bring them into the House of Truth. The Puritans first used force among their own people to enforce strict adherence to their religion, and then sought to do the same with the Native Americans.
Soon the Dutch also began efforts to colonize in about the same area, and had several conflicts with the Native Americans. Of course, the Native Americans had as much trouble distinguishing between Dutch and English men, as English men had distinguishing between member of different tribes of Native Americans. So sometimes Native Americans retaliated against English men, whom they thought were Dutch men.
Then there was the problem of Native Americans of other tribes in the area, who had not agreed to the treaty between the Wampanoags and Pilgrims. They might attack any Pilgrims, who wandered out of Wampanoag territory. Since the tribes frequently had no fixed boundaries, or ill defined boundaries, like say a mountain (the mountain itself being undefined), it was not hard for Pilgrims to be perceived as being out of Wapanaog land. This did not really become a problem, until the other tribes began to also obtain muskets through trade with the Dutch and other English colonies.
Lastly, and worst of all, people who did not share the beliefs and moral character of the Pilgrims, began to move into Plymouth Colony from England, due to its peace and prosperity. The Pilgrims called these people, "Strangers".
The Pilgrims had continued to honor the treaty, that was made between John Carver and Massasoit, being careful to not go beyond the boundaries of Wampanoag land, as they understood the boundaries. However, the Strangers did not feel, that they needed to keep the agreement, which the colony that they were joining, had made with the Wampanoag.
Not long after the Great Migration, the Pilgrims found themselves to be a minority in the colony, which they had suffered so much to make successful. Eventually, through a subtle influence, the Strangers gained effective control of Plymouth Colony. Then they took advantage of a time when the Wampanoag were weak, to force them to sign a new treaty, that took away much of their land and gave it to the Strangers - without payment.
Since the arrival of the Pilgrims, many of the Wampanoags had come into the House of Truth. They had seen how the prayers of William Bradford were answered, when he petition the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) to save Massasoit from death, when he had became ill with seven day fever. This was the very same disease, which their shamans and medicine men had been powerless to heal. Indeed, most of them had died from the disease. So these Wampanoag Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) were organized to live in fourteen "praying towns" in 1650 by the Puritan John Eliot, who was more like a Pilgrim than a Puritan in his manners.
Many of the Wampanoag sought to take on English names to use among the English, as well as their original names to use among other Native Americans. Frequently, they added an English surname like "Walker" to the end of their native names, like "Mahatable", to produce a name like "Mahatable Walker", that reflected both Wampanoag and Pilgrim heritage. This was especially common among children with Pilgrim fathers and Wampanoag mothers.
Eventually, even Massasoit, the Sachem of the Wampanoag, petitioned the government of Plymouth Colony to have the names of his two sons, Wamsutta and Metacom, legally changed to Alexander and Philip.
After Massasoit died in 1661, Wamsutta (aka Alexander) became the Sachem of the Wampanoag. The Pilgrims thought him overly confident, so they invited him to Plymouth to talk to him about his attitude. On the way home, Wamsutta died from illness, likely the same seven day fever that had almost killed his father, some forty years earlier. However, many of the Wampanoag were suspicious, that he had been poisoned by the English in Plymouth, who were now dominated by the Strangers.
So Metacom became then new Sachem of the Wampanoag. The English called him "King Philip", because they gave the title "king" to the sachem of every tribe, even though the Sachem of the Wapanaog had less than one thousand men in his tribe. However, "King Philip" soon proved to be a very different kind of man, than his father, Massasoit had been.
King Philip could see that the English, who were now dominated by Puritans and Strangers, were not treating the Native Americans in line with the treaty made by Wampanoags and Pilgrims.
Many of the Native Americans in other tribes had been forced against their will to give up their native religion to become "Christians", in the sense of the Puritan definition. (The Pilgrims were too tolerant of differences, too humble in their demeanor, and too forgiving of trespasses, to meet the Puritan definition of "Christian".)
Many of the Native Americans in other tribes were being forced against their will to give up their language, culture, and entire way of life to adopt the English language, culture, and way of life. They were being discourage from living in several locations throughout the year, as they continued to live by hunting, fishing, gathering, and small scale farming. They were discouraged from continuing to observe the traditions of their tribe. They were being forced to live in single location English style towns, attend English schools, where they were forbidden to speak any language except English, and start earning a living by carry out the same kinds of occupations as the English colonists.
Many of the Native Americans in other tribes were being forced to either sale their tribal land to English colonists, or have it taken from them without payment by the English colonists. The English colonists insisted that the Native Americans did not need so much land, if they would just adopt the English lifestyle.
So instead of living under a treaty of mutual benefit and protection, where Wampanoags and Pilgrims lived side by side in tolerance and respect, the Puritans and Strangers were intent on forcing Native Americans to assimilate into English culture.
King Philip may have considered just moving west, but the Iroquois had recently came down in large numbers, blocking the only route that did not lead to other areas dominated by Europeans. He also knew that since the Wapanaog had less than 1,000 men, that he could not effectively resist the English. So he started meeting with the leaders of the other tribes, including the traditional enemies of the Wampanoag, to put an end to the territorial expansion and lifestyle intrusion of Puritans and Strangers.
The English could see that something was up, when King Philip started meeting regularly with the leaders of the very tribes, who would have wiped the Wampanoag off the face of the Earth, if not for their treaty with the Pilgrims. There was also increase in the amount of muskets, bullets, and gunpowder obtained by the Native Americans from the English.
So in 1671, the Puritans called King Philip to Taunton to discuss a peaceful solution. However, their "peaceful solution" was, that King Philip convince the Native Americans to give up more of their land and rights, surrender their firearms to the Puritans, and agree to live under English Law. King Philip, who could not read English, signed the document they had prepared, but then sneaked out of town, while they were preparing a dinner to celebrate the treaty signing.
So, even though the Native Americans were outnumber in southern New England by more than a margin of two to one, King Philip convinced the leaders of the other tribes to launch a massive surprise attack on the English. The plan was to launch this attack in the Spring of 1676, when the English would be the most vulnerable.
However, a Native American of the Massachusett tribe, named John Sassamon (aka Wussausmon), messed everything up for King Philip.
John Sassamon had been brought into the House of Truth by John Eliot, not long after the Puritans had first came to set up colonies, following the success of Plymouth Colony. He had worked as an interpreter between the Native Americans and the English for years, as well as preaching among his fellow Native Americans, to bring as many of them as he could, into the House of Truth.
During his evangelical travels among the tribes, he had heard about the plot of King Philip. He reported to the governor of Plymouth Colony, Josiah Winslow, that King Philip was planning an uprising against the English. The governor did not believe that that King Philip would attack Plymouth Colony, due to the treaty that had been made between Wampanoags and Pilgrims.
Nonetheless, John Sassamon was found dead at the bottom of an icy pond, shortly after this. At first, it was believed that he drowned in a fishing accident, but closer examination showed that his neck had been broken by violent twisting. Then another Native American Child of Truth, Patuckson, came forward to report, that he had seen three Wapanaog men kill John Sassamon, and then try to hide his body in the pond. The three Wampanoag men who he identified, were arrested and put on trial before a jury of twelve English men, and six Native American elders. The jury was unanimous in its verdict, and all three were hanged.
This trail and execution lead to a rumor that the English wanted to capture King Philip. So King Philip moved up his time table, and called a war council for all of the Native American tribes in the area, on Mount Hope. All of the Wampanoag men, except those who had came into the House of Truth, joined King Philip in his plot. The same was true among almost all of the other tribes, except for the Narragansett, the most bitter of the traditional enemies of the Wampanoag, who decided to stay neutral.
So at the beginning of the Summer of 1675, some Wampanoag warriors attacked the city nearest to Mount Hope, Swansea. This soon lead to multiple attacks on towns across southern New England in a short amount of time. In fact, 52 out of 90 towns were attacked, most of them badly damaged, and twelve were completely destroyed. In some cases, some of the few towns that were still dominated by Pilgrims were attacked by Wampanoags. King Philip had broken every provision of the treaty between Wampanoags and Pilgrims, when he started King Philip's War.
King Philip's War was not just some minor uprising of Native Americans. On a basis of the percentage of the population who were killed, it was the bloodiest conflict in American history.
The English were unable to win the war against the Native Americans, when it started. They had sent out the militia of each town, but the Native Americans continued to prevail. The English tried to fight the war on battle fields like they did in Europe, but the Native Americans kept using guerilla tactics, that the English did not know how to fight against.
It did not help, that when it came to Native Americans, the English could not tell friend from foe. So eventually, the Narragansett decided to join the side of King Philip, except for those who had came into the House of Truth, after they were attacked by the English. Finally, the governors of the colonies moved the Native American Children of Truth to islands, both to protect them from vengeful Puritans and Strangers, and because the governors were concerned that they would turn on them to join King Philip.
In 1676, the leaders of the colonies finally gave into the advice of Captain Benjamin Church. Captain Church had them free the Native American Children of Truth from their captivity, and bring them to him. Then he had the Native American Children of Truth teach his army how to fight in the same style and tactics that King Philip used. These men, who were trained to fight like Native Americans while using European weapons and organization, were called "rangers".
Captain Church then had the Native American Children of Truth join the rangers in waging war against King Philip. He also convinced the leaders of the colonies to authorize him to offer amnesty to any other Native Americans, who would join him in fighting King Philip.
Soon the tide of the war was turned against King Philip. Large numbers of Native Americans joined the rangers of Captain Church, frequently without even putting up a fight, when they saw that the rangers had learned how to fight like Native Americans.
Soon King Philip was left hiding out in the Miery Swamp near Mount Hope, where he was hunted by Captain Church and his rangers. He was finally tracked down, and shot in the heart by one of the Native American Children of Truth, whom Captain Church had freed, named John Alderman. With that shot, the war started by King Philip came to an end.
King Philip's War caused devastation and distress to the Wampanoag and the other Native Americans that joined them for generations. The Native Americans that joined King Philip ultimately lost sixty percent of their population, about nine thousand people, in the war due to starvation during the winter, dying in the war, and being sold as slaves in foreign lands. In many tribes, including the Wampanoag and Narraganset, the only tribal members who remained in the southern New England after the war, were those who had came into the House of Truth.
King Philip's War also caused devastation and economic distress to the English colonists, that lasted for generations. The English in England had done nothing to come to the aid of the English colonists in New England, but the English colonists were instead saved by the very same Native American Children of Truth, whom they had imprisoned on islands. The English crown also did nothing to help them recover from the effects of the war, but the Native American Children of Truth helped them again during the difficult years that followed. The English colonists came to understand, that they had more in common with the Native American Children of Truth, than they did with the people of England.
This war, which had started because King Philip violated the treaty between Wampanoags and Pilgrims, forged the identity of a new people. They stopped seeing themselves as English people living in North America, and started seeing themselves as Americans.
Yet, over the next two hundred years, many of their descendants continued to treat Native Americans, in the same ways that the Puritans and Strangers had, instead of treating them in the way that the Pilgrims had. The "peaceful solution" of the Federal Government has often echoed the one that was offered King Philip at Taunton. It has brought peace between Native Americans and European Americans, but it is not a just peace.
Is there any hope for a just peace between Native Americans and European Americans, where people of all races work together for the benefit of each other, like there was for more than fifty years between Wampanoags and Pilgrims?
Fortunately, there is more than just hope for a just peace, there is a promise that the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) will bring about a just peace.
The Man of Truth came to this Earth and has returned to Heaven, until it is time for him to bring all people under his rule (Revelation 12:5)! Since then, he has been preparing for war (Revelation 19:11-13)!
He is coming with his armies, to bring this Earth under his righteous rule (Revelation 19:14-16)! His victory is certain (Revelation 19:17-18)! He will destroy off the face of the Earth, everyone who is on the side of his enemy (Revelation 19:19-21)!
People of every race will worship the Father of Truth (Psalm 66:1-4)! None will be able to rebel against Him (Psalm 66:5-7)! He will reign over them through the Man of Truth forever (Revelation 11:15)!
It will be utterly useless to plan a rebellion against Him and the Man of Truth (Psalm 2:1-3)! He will laugh at their efforts to take the Man of Truth off of the throne (Psalm 2:4-6)! The Man of Truth will break apart strong nations like the United States into smaller nations (Psalm 2:7-9)!
The Children of Truth will reign with the Man of Truth, just as they have suffered for him (2 Timothy 2:12)! The Children of Truth will rule over those smaller nations, that the Man of Truth has made by breaking apart strong nations, because they have overcome the temptation to do evil (Revelation 2:26-28)! The Children of Truth will reign with the Man of Truth forever (Revelation 22:3-5)!
The nations will no longer go to war with each other to settle their disputes (Isaiah 2:2-4)! The Man of Truth will use the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) to settle their disputes, so that every person enjoys the fruits of their own labor in peace and security (Micah 4:1-4)! Native Americans and European Americans will enjoy the peace that comes from obeying the Law of Truth, because every commandment of the Law of Truth is just (Romans 7:12)!
Those who seek to do their own will, like the Strangers and King Philip did, will be destroyed, while those who seek to do his will, like the Wampanoag Children of Truth and the Pilgrims did, will enjoy peace and prosperity (Psalm 2:10-12)! The Man of Truth will bring about a just peace, like the one that Wampanoags and the Pilgrims sought, to the entire Earth (Isaiah 49:5-7)! Those who seek after a just peace, like Wampanoags and the Pilgrims sought, will finally obtain it (Matthew 5:5-9)!
Just like those Native Americans, who joined King Philip, were offered amnesty, if they would repent of their rebellion, so also the Father of Truth offers amnesty, to those who will repent.
Everyone can start enjoying a just peace in their own life right now, by becoming part of the kingdom of the Man of Truth right now (Mark 1:14-15). The Father of Truth has already given the Man of Truth, so that a just peace will come upon those who believe, that he will bring a just peace upon the entire world (John 3:15-17).
Everyone who comes into the House of Truth will begin to enjoy a just peace with the Father of Truth (Romans 5:1)! Everyone who makes the Man of Truth king of their life, because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead, will come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:9)!
Come into the House of Truth!
All of the Remingtons in the US can trace their father's linage back to just one man, John Remington. A woman, who married into the Remington Family traced the family linage of every Remington back to their common ancestor, who crossed the Atlantic.
This is not as daunting of a task as it might seem at first. According to US Census data, there were only 5610 Remingtons living in America in 2010. Many of them came from relatively few men, just a few generations ago. For example, my great grand father Remington had 10 sons, my grand father Remington had 6 sons, and my father had 4 sons. Of course, not all Remingtons have been quite so prolific. Some of the men that came from my great grand father, did not have produce any sons - or even daughters. Still, it must have taken the former Miss Peterson years, to have traced all of these people back to a single man.
Other people have traced his ancestry back to about 800 AD. It is not that hard to do in England, if you can identify who crossed the pond (the Atlantic Ocean). Church records of marriages, births, baptisms, and deaths, have been maintained there, for about as long as England has had churches.
Here is what these church records on both sides of the pond tell about John Remington. He was born in Plymouth, England (Yorkshire) in 1621, the same year that the Pilgrims had the "first Thanksgiving" at Plymouth Colony in the New World. He married Mahatable Walker at Plymouth Colony, where the Pilgrims had settled, in 1653.
John Remington was not at that first Thanksgiving Feast, when he was an infant. Particularly, since he had graduated from the university back in England, (school records also long endure in England), before marrying Mahatable Walker in Plymouth Colony. He immigrated over to Plymouth Colony in 1637 AD. However, it is almost certain that the parents of Mahatable Walker had been at that first Thanksgiving.
Mahatable is not an English name. (Not to be confused with Mehetabel, or Mehetabeel, which are Middle Eastern names.) Walker is also a surname that many Native Americans adopted early on, as they began to adopt English names. Mahatable Walker has been reported as either a full blood Wampanoag or half Wampanoag. This would make me to either be about 1 in 32K (32,768) Wampanoag or 1 in 64K Wampanoag.
(There are no Federal benefits having this little Wampanoag in your ancestry. I have had relatives who investigated to see if there was. The Wampanoag have a blood quantum, and it is way above 1 in 32K.)
If Mahatable Walker was half Wampanoag, then I had both Pilgrim and Wampanoag ancestors at that very first Thanksgiving. (There is no chance of this on my mother's side. Her family were a bunch of Johnny-come-latelies, who did not arrive in Virginia until the 1750s.)
The truth is, that intermarriage between English men and Wampanoag women was not uncommon in Plymouth Colony. It was often a practical matter. There was generally a shortage of English women, who were willing to move to a strange land, where half of their children were likely to die before adulthood. In fact, there were only four English women left alive, when the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony. There was also a shortage of Wampanoag men, due to the tragedies that had befallen them, before the Pilgrims arrived in 1620.
The Wampanoag had encountered English fisher men, up the coast from Plymouth Rock, prior to the arrival of the Pilgrims. Unfortunately, they contacted seven day fever, which was mostly a nuisance disease for the English.
Not so, for the Wampanoag, for it decimated great numbers of their people. For example, the famous Tisquantum (aka Squanto), found that his entire band of the Wampanoag, the Patuxet, had been wiped out completely, by such an epidemic.
Then things got much worse for the Wampanoag. Their traditional enemies, the Narragansett, the Mohegan, and the Pequot tribes of Native Americans, took advantage of their much weakened condition, and waged a war of extermination against the Wampanoag. The Wampanoag, of course, fought back, but they lost many of their men in this war for their survival.
When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, the Wampanoag at Plymouth Rock were essentially trapped on the peninsula. Their traditional enemies controlled the land to the north, west and south of the land that was next to the peninsula, and the Atlantic Ocean surrounded the north, east and south sides of the peninsula. There were less than 1,000 Wampanoag left in that area, where there had been more than 10,000, ten years earlier. Of course, there were many more women and children than men, due to the war with their traditional enemies.
The Wampanoag found these English settlers, the Pilgrims, basically doing as about as badly as they were doing. The Pilgrims had largely been shop keepers and the like in England, and were totally unprepared to live in the wilderness of North America. So the Wampanoag helped them, and they helped the Wampanoag.
The Wampanoag taught the Pilgrims how to hunt and grow crops. The Pilgrims leader, William Bradford, personally gave their chief, Massasoit, medical care that saved his life, after he had contacted, what was likely seven day fever.
Also, the Wampanoag were quick to appreciate the superior firepower of a musket, over anything that their enemies possessed. So it was not long, before the Wampanoag and Pilgrims made treaty of mutual benefit and defense. The Wampanoag found friends, who could help them defend themselves against their enemies, and the Pilgrims had found friends, who could teach them how to survive and thrive in the New World.
The enemies of the Wampanoag also soon realized, that their weapons were no match for those of the Pilgrims, after they attacked the village of Massasoit, so they ended their war with the Wampanoag. So peace prevailed, as long as everyone abided by the terms of the treaty.
Things began to change as both Wampanoags and Pilgrims continued to benefit from the treaty. One of the things that Pilgrims needed, was land for farming, and to build houses on. The Wampanoag were glad to sell them land, since they had so much excess land, after being so greatly reduced in numbers, for things like metal knives and muskets. However, the mutual peace and prosperity that they enjoyed, soon created problems of its own.
There was the problem, that the success of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Colony inspired other English Colonies to form in New England. These other English colonies had not been party to the agreement with the Wampanoag, so they also were not bound by its terms.
While they were also separatists from the Church of England, they were quite different in how they dealt with Native Americans. The Pilgrims had reached out to the Wampanoag and the tribes around them in love, to try to bring them into the House of Truth. The Puritans first used force among their own people to enforce strict adherence to their religion, and then sought to do the same with the Native Americans.
Soon the Dutch also began efforts to colonize in about the same area, and had several conflicts with the Native Americans. Of course, the Native Americans had as much trouble distinguishing between Dutch and English men, as English men had distinguishing between member of different tribes of Native Americans. So sometimes Native Americans retaliated against English men, whom they thought were Dutch men.
Then there was the problem of Native Americans of other tribes in the area, who had not agreed to the treaty between the Wampanoags and Pilgrims. They might attack any Pilgrims, who wandered out of Wampanoag territory. Since the tribes frequently had no fixed boundaries, or ill defined boundaries, like say a mountain (the mountain itself being undefined), it was not hard for Pilgrims to be perceived as being out of Wapanaog land. This did not really become a problem, until the other tribes began to also obtain muskets through trade with the Dutch and other English colonies.
Lastly, and worst of all, people who did not share the beliefs and moral character of the Pilgrims, began to move into Plymouth Colony from England, due to its peace and prosperity. The Pilgrims called these people, "Strangers".
The Pilgrims had continued to honor the treaty, that was made between John Carver and Massasoit, being careful to not go beyond the boundaries of Wampanoag land, as they understood the boundaries. However, the Strangers did not feel, that they needed to keep the agreement, which the colony that they were joining, had made with the Wampanoag.
Not long after the Great Migration, the Pilgrims found themselves to be a minority in the colony, which they had suffered so much to make successful. Eventually, through a subtle influence, the Strangers gained effective control of Plymouth Colony. Then they took advantage of a time when the Wampanoag were weak, to force them to sign a new treaty, that took away much of their land and gave it to the Strangers - without payment.
Since the arrival of the Pilgrims, many of the Wampanoags had come into the House of Truth. They had seen how the prayers of William Bradford were answered, when he petition the Father of Truth (YHVH aka God aka THE LORD) to save Massasoit from death, when he had became ill with seven day fever. This was the very same disease, which their shamans and medicine men had been powerless to heal. Indeed, most of them had died from the disease. So these Wampanoag Children of Truth (those who obey The Father of Truth because they love Him) were organized to live in fourteen "praying towns" in 1650 by the Puritan John Eliot, who was more like a Pilgrim than a Puritan in his manners.
Many of the Wampanoag sought to take on English names to use among the English, as well as their original names to use among other Native Americans. Frequently, they added an English surname like "Walker" to the end of their native names, like "Mahatable", to produce a name like "Mahatable Walker", that reflected both Wampanoag and Pilgrim heritage. This was especially common among children with Pilgrim fathers and Wampanoag mothers.
Eventually, even Massasoit, the Sachem of the Wampanoag, petitioned the government of Plymouth Colony to have the names of his two sons, Wamsutta and Metacom, legally changed to Alexander and Philip.
After Massasoit died in 1661, Wamsutta (aka Alexander) became the Sachem of the Wampanoag. The Pilgrims thought him overly confident, so they invited him to Plymouth to talk to him about his attitude. On the way home, Wamsutta died from illness, likely the same seven day fever that had almost killed his father, some forty years earlier. However, many of the Wampanoag were suspicious, that he had been poisoned by the English in Plymouth, who were now dominated by the Strangers.
So Metacom became then new Sachem of the Wampanoag. The English called him "King Philip", because they gave the title "king" to the sachem of every tribe, even though the Sachem of the Wapanaog had less than one thousand men in his tribe. However, "King Philip" soon proved to be a very different kind of man, than his father, Massasoit had been.
King Philip could see that the English, who were now dominated by Puritans and Strangers, were not treating the Native Americans in line with the treaty made by Wampanoags and Pilgrims.
Many of the Native Americans in other tribes had been forced against their will to give up their native religion to become "Christians", in the sense of the Puritan definition. (The Pilgrims were too tolerant of differences, too humble in their demeanor, and too forgiving of trespasses, to meet the Puritan definition of "Christian".)
Many of the Native Americans in other tribes were being forced against their will to give up their language, culture, and entire way of life to adopt the English language, culture, and way of life. They were being discourage from living in several locations throughout the year, as they continued to live by hunting, fishing, gathering, and small scale farming. They were discouraged from continuing to observe the traditions of their tribe. They were being forced to live in single location English style towns, attend English schools, where they were forbidden to speak any language except English, and start earning a living by carry out the same kinds of occupations as the English colonists.
Many of the Native Americans in other tribes were being forced to either sale their tribal land to English colonists, or have it taken from them without payment by the English colonists. The English colonists insisted that the Native Americans did not need so much land, if they would just adopt the English lifestyle.
So instead of living under a treaty of mutual benefit and protection, where Wampanoags and Pilgrims lived side by side in tolerance and respect, the Puritans and Strangers were intent on forcing Native Americans to assimilate into English culture.
King Philip may have considered just moving west, but the Iroquois had recently came down in large numbers, blocking the only route that did not lead to other areas dominated by Europeans. He also knew that since the Wapanaog had less than 1,000 men, that he could not effectively resist the English. So he started meeting with the leaders of the other tribes, including the traditional enemies of the Wampanoag, to put an end to the territorial expansion and lifestyle intrusion of Puritans and Strangers.
The English could see that something was up, when King Philip started meeting regularly with the leaders of the very tribes, who would have wiped the Wampanoag off the face of the Earth, if not for their treaty with the Pilgrims. There was also increase in the amount of muskets, bullets, and gunpowder obtained by the Native Americans from the English.
So in 1671, the Puritans called King Philip to Taunton to discuss a peaceful solution. However, their "peaceful solution" was, that King Philip convince the Native Americans to give up more of their land and rights, surrender their firearms to the Puritans, and agree to live under English Law. King Philip, who could not read English, signed the document they had prepared, but then sneaked out of town, while they were preparing a dinner to celebrate the treaty signing.
So, even though the Native Americans were outnumber in southern New England by more than a margin of two to one, King Philip convinced the leaders of the other tribes to launch a massive surprise attack on the English. The plan was to launch this attack in the Spring of 1676, when the English would be the most vulnerable.
However, a Native American of the Massachusett tribe, named John Sassamon (aka Wussausmon), messed everything up for King Philip.
John Sassamon had been brought into the House of Truth by John Eliot, not long after the Puritans had first came to set up colonies, following the success of Plymouth Colony. He had worked as an interpreter between the Native Americans and the English for years, as well as preaching among his fellow Native Americans, to bring as many of them as he could, into the House of Truth.
During his evangelical travels among the tribes, he had heard about the plot of King Philip. He reported to the governor of Plymouth Colony, Josiah Winslow, that King Philip was planning an uprising against the English. The governor did not believe that that King Philip would attack Plymouth Colony, due to the treaty that had been made between Wampanoags and Pilgrims.
Nonetheless, John Sassamon was found dead at the bottom of an icy pond, shortly after this. At first, it was believed that he drowned in a fishing accident, but closer examination showed that his neck had been broken by violent twisting. Then another Native American Child of Truth, Patuckson, came forward to report, that he had seen three Wapanaog men kill John Sassamon, and then try to hide his body in the pond. The three Wampanoag men who he identified, were arrested and put on trial before a jury of twelve English men, and six Native American elders. The jury was unanimous in its verdict, and all three were hanged.
This trail and execution lead to a rumor that the English wanted to capture King Philip. So King Philip moved up his time table, and called a war council for all of the Native American tribes in the area, on Mount Hope. All of the Wampanoag men, except those who had came into the House of Truth, joined King Philip in his plot. The same was true among almost all of the other tribes, except for the Narragansett, the most bitter of the traditional enemies of the Wampanoag, who decided to stay neutral.
So at the beginning of the Summer of 1675, some Wampanoag warriors attacked the city nearest to Mount Hope, Swansea. This soon lead to multiple attacks on towns across southern New England in a short amount of time. In fact, 52 out of 90 towns were attacked, most of them badly damaged, and twelve were completely destroyed. In some cases, some of the few towns that were still dominated by Pilgrims were attacked by Wampanoags. King Philip had broken every provision of the treaty between Wampanoags and Pilgrims, when he started King Philip's War.
King Philip's War was not just some minor uprising of Native Americans. On a basis of the percentage of the population who were killed, it was the bloodiest conflict in American history.
The English were unable to win the war against the Native Americans, when it started. They had sent out the militia of each town, but the Native Americans continued to prevail. The English tried to fight the war on battle fields like they did in Europe, but the Native Americans kept using guerilla tactics, that the English did not know how to fight against.
It did not help, that when it came to Native Americans, the English could not tell friend from foe. So eventually, the Narragansett decided to join the side of King Philip, except for those who had came into the House of Truth, after they were attacked by the English. Finally, the governors of the colonies moved the Native American Children of Truth to islands, both to protect them from vengeful Puritans and Strangers, and because the governors were concerned that they would turn on them to join King Philip.
In 1676, the leaders of the colonies finally gave into the advice of Captain Benjamin Church. Captain Church had them free the Native American Children of Truth from their captivity, and bring them to him. Then he had the Native American Children of Truth teach his army how to fight in the same style and tactics that King Philip used. These men, who were trained to fight like Native Americans while using European weapons and organization, were called "rangers".
Captain Church then had the Native American Children of Truth join the rangers in waging war against King Philip. He also convinced the leaders of the colonies to authorize him to offer amnesty to any other Native Americans, who would join him in fighting King Philip.
Soon the tide of the war was turned against King Philip. Large numbers of Native Americans joined the rangers of Captain Church, frequently without even putting up a fight, when they saw that the rangers had learned how to fight like Native Americans.
Soon King Philip was left hiding out in the Miery Swamp near Mount Hope, where he was hunted by Captain Church and his rangers. He was finally tracked down, and shot in the heart by one of the Native American Children of Truth, whom Captain Church had freed, named John Alderman. With that shot, the war started by King Philip came to an end.
King Philip's War caused devastation and distress to the Wampanoag and the other Native Americans that joined them for generations. The Native Americans that joined King Philip ultimately lost sixty percent of their population, about nine thousand people, in the war due to starvation during the winter, dying in the war, and being sold as slaves in foreign lands. In many tribes, including the Wampanoag and Narraganset, the only tribal members who remained in the southern New England after the war, were those who had came into the House of Truth.
King Philip's War also caused devastation and economic distress to the English colonists, that lasted for generations. The English in England had done nothing to come to the aid of the English colonists in New England, but the English colonists were instead saved by the very same Native American Children of Truth, whom they had imprisoned on islands. The English crown also did nothing to help them recover from the effects of the war, but the Native American Children of Truth helped them again during the difficult years that followed. The English colonists came to understand, that they had more in common with the Native American Children of Truth, than they did with the people of England.
This war, which had started because King Philip violated the treaty between Wampanoags and Pilgrims, forged the identity of a new people. They stopped seeing themselves as English people living in North America, and started seeing themselves as Americans.
Yet, over the next two hundred years, many of their descendants continued to treat Native Americans, in the same ways that the Puritans and Strangers had, instead of treating them in the way that the Pilgrims had. The "peaceful solution" of the Federal Government has often echoed the one that was offered King Philip at Taunton. It has brought peace between Native Americans and European Americans, but it is not a just peace.
Is there any hope for a just peace between Native Americans and European Americans, where people of all races work together for the benefit of each other, like there was for more than fifty years between Wampanoags and Pilgrims?
Fortunately, there is more than just hope for a just peace, there is a promise that the Man of Truth (Yeshua HaMashiach aka Jesus Christ) will bring about a just peace.
The Man of Truth came to this Earth and has returned to Heaven, until it is time for him to bring all people under his rule (Revelation 12:5)! Since then, he has been preparing for war (Revelation 19:11-13)!
He is coming with his armies, to bring this Earth under his righteous rule (Revelation 19:14-16)! His victory is certain (Revelation 19:17-18)! He will destroy off the face of the Earth, everyone who is on the side of his enemy (Revelation 19:19-21)!
People of every race will worship the Father of Truth (Psalm 66:1-4)! None will be able to rebel against Him (Psalm 66:5-7)! He will reign over them through the Man of Truth forever (Revelation 11:15)!
It will be utterly useless to plan a rebellion against Him and the Man of Truth (Psalm 2:1-3)! He will laugh at their efforts to take the Man of Truth off of the throne (Psalm 2:4-6)! The Man of Truth will break apart strong nations like the United States into smaller nations (Psalm 2:7-9)!
The Children of Truth will reign with the Man of Truth, just as they have suffered for him (2 Timothy 2:12)! The Children of Truth will rule over those smaller nations, that the Man of Truth has made by breaking apart strong nations, because they have overcome the temptation to do evil (Revelation 2:26-28)! The Children of Truth will reign with the Man of Truth forever (Revelation 22:3-5)!
The nations will no longer go to war with each other to settle their disputes (Isaiah 2:2-4)! The Man of Truth will use the Law of Truth (Torah aka The Law) to settle their disputes, so that every person enjoys the fruits of their own labor in peace and security (Micah 4:1-4)! Native Americans and European Americans will enjoy the peace that comes from obeying the Law of Truth, because every commandment of the Law of Truth is just (Romans 7:12)!
Those who seek to do their own will, like the Strangers and King Philip did, will be destroyed, while those who seek to do his will, like the Wampanoag Children of Truth and the Pilgrims did, will enjoy peace and prosperity (Psalm 2:10-12)! The Man of Truth will bring about a just peace, like the one that Wampanoags and the Pilgrims sought, to the entire Earth (Isaiah 49:5-7)! Those who seek after a just peace, like Wampanoags and the Pilgrims sought, will finally obtain it (Matthew 5:5-9)!
Just like those Native Americans, who joined King Philip, were offered amnesty, if they would repent of their rebellion, so also the Father of Truth offers amnesty, to those who will repent.
Everyone can start enjoying a just peace in their own life right now, by becoming part of the kingdom of the Man of Truth right now (Mark 1:14-15). The Father of Truth has already given the Man of Truth, so that a just peace will come upon those who believe, that he will bring a just peace upon the entire world (John 3:15-17).
Everyone who comes into the House of Truth will begin to enjoy a just peace with the Father of Truth (Romans 5:1)! Everyone who makes the Man of Truth king of their life, because they believe that the Father of Truth raised him from the dead, will come into the House of Truth (Romans 10:9)!
Come into the House of Truth!
Labels: Native Americans, Peace, Pilgrims, Thanksgiving
posted by The House Of Truth @ November 20, 2016
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