Sachem

Sachem or sagamore is a term for leaders of Algonquian polities along the northeastern coast of North America. It is also now used to refer to non-Royaner leaders in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy such as the councilors of each nation. Sachem and Sagamore are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Algonquian languages. Some sources indicate that historically 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; while others suggest the two terms were interchangeable.Life & Times: Squaw Sachem" , Hawthorne in Salem, The Daily Times Chronicle, Winchester Edition (MA), December 1999, accessed 27 Jan 2010 Sachems are appointed or elected officeholders and the office is not strictly hereditary.Kehoe, Alice. North American Indians, A Comprehensive Account. Third Edition. 2006 However, the choice of Sachem is at least partly based on the prominence of the individual's family or kinship ties to the previous Sachem.

Etymology The Oxford English Dictionary found a use as early as 1613. The term "Sagamore" appears in Noah Webster'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 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.Life & Times: Squaw Sachem"; , Hawthorne in Salem, The Daily Times Chronicle, Winchester Edition (MA), December 1999, accessed 27 Jan 2010

Cognate words FamilyLanguageWordNotes Eastern Algonquian Proto-Eastern Algonquian *sākimāw theoretical reconstruction Narragansett sâchim anglicized as sachemGoddard, Ives (1978). "Eastern Algonquian languages", in "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of Handbook of North American Indians, ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 75 Lenape sakima derived from earlier form sakimaw Eastern Abnaki sakəma anglicized as sagamore Mi'kmaq saqamawNinigret Malecite-Passamaquoddy sakom Francis, David A., Sr. et al. Maliseet - Passamaquoddy Dictionary. Mi'kmaq - Maliseet Institute Western Abnaki sôgmôWangunksequin Central Algonquian Proto-Central Algonquian *okimāwa theoretical reconstruction Anishinaabe ogimaa Nichols, John, and Earl Nyholm. (1995). A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press Algonquin ogimà Mcgregor, Ernest. (1994). Algonquin Lexicon. Maniwaki, QC: Kitigan Zibi Education Council. Ottawa gimaa Rhodes, Richard A. (1985). Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. Potawatomi wgema anglicised as Ogema Eastern Swampy Cree okimâwMacKenzie, Marguerite (editor). (c2007). Wasaho Ininîwimowin Dictionary (Fort Severn Cree). Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre. Northern East Cree uchimaaBobbish-Salt, Luci et al. (2004–06). Northern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board. Southern East Cree uchimaaNeeposh, Ella et al. (2004–07). Southern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board. Naskapi iiyuuchimaaw MacKenzie, Marguerite and Bill Jancewicz. (1994). Naskapi lexicon . Kawawachikamach, Quebec: Naskapi Development Corp.Miami-Illinoisakima

Sachems

The "great Sachem" (Southern New England Algonquian: massasoit sachem) whose aid was such a boon to the Plymouth Colony—although his motives were complex—is remembered today as simply Massasoit.Note that this massa- element meaning "great" in the Massachusett language also appears in the name of the Massachusett (i.e. "Great Hills people") and subsequently in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Another Sachem, Mahomet Weyonomon of the Mohegans, travelled to London 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 include Awashonks, Weetamoo, Quaiapen, Uncas, Wonalancet, Askamaboo, Cheryll Toney Holley, Madockawando, Saunkskwa of Missitekw, Sam George and Samoset.

Other uses

United States' politics The leader of New York City's Tammany Hall was officially referred to as Sachem. In the 1940s, the legislature of Indiana 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. There is also the Sachems, a secret society at Columbia University

Schools

Sachem School District Algonquin Regional High School Laconia High School Middleborough High School Pentucket Regional High School Saugus High School Massapequa High School

Sachem

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