Nipmuc

Nipmuc

Total population
500+
Regions with significant populations
Worcester County, Massachusetts, USA
Languages
Formerly Nipmuc (Algonquian languages), currently English.
Religion
Christianity
Related ethnic groups
Narragansett, Pocomtuc, Pennacook, Massachusett, and other Algonquian tribes.[1]

The Nipmuc (also spelled Nipmuck)^[2] are a group of Algonquian Indians native to Worcester County, Massachusetts, some parts of Northeastern CT, and NW RI, and the Northwestern and Western parts of Middlesex County, Massachusetts.

Name

The name Nipmuk can be attested to in the earliest of colonial sources, that of John Eliot. Currently, most tribal members prefer the spelling Nipmuc. Alternative spellings, based either on dialectal variation or lack of conformity in spelling, include Nipmuck, Nipnet, Neetmock, Neipnett, Nipmaug, etc. These can variously be translated as the "[people from the] small pond" or from the "freshwater fishing place."^[3] The name may be related to the fact that the interior tribes did not have access to the ocean or as a reference to Lake Chaubunagungamaug, where the Nipmuc have long been associated.^[4] The early French settlers in New France also referred to numerous tribes in the south and interior of New England as les Loups, or the Wolf People.^[5]

Language

The various Nipmuc peoples spoke closely related dialects of the Algonquian language family, and mutually intelligible with other tribal languages and dialects of the area. Families from Nipmuc peoples who had settled amongst the Massachusett in Natick assisted the missionary John Eliot in translating and editing the Massachusett-language Bible.^[6][7]

Primary documentary evidence is provided by Father Mathevet's 17th-century notes on the language of the Loup as well as the Loup of the Connecticut River valley, which linguists believe are Nipmuc, or closely related tribal language, and possibly Pocomtuc.^[8] Further evidence can be gleamed by the large number of Nipmuc toponyms and hydronyms and comparison with similar ones of related tribes.^[9]

Although most scholars agree that the Nipmuc tongue probably went extinct in the late 18th or early 19th century, recent attempts at resurrecting the language have produced at least ten proficient speakers who are helping to teach others, and the language features in tribal ceremonies and prayers. David Tall Pine White, one of the proficient speakers of the tribe, worked as an actor, script translator, and language consultant on PBS' documentary We Shall Remain, which includes dialogue in Nipmuc.^[10]

Most Nipmuc dialects were "L-dialects" as opposed to the "N-dialects" of their eastern and northern neighbours, e.g., Nashaway (the source of the name for the Nashua River) on the fringes of Nipmuc territory appears as Lashaway in certain locales more to the heart of their lands. Other variations between Nipmuc and Massachuset, also spoken by the Wampanoag are slight.^[4][11] Because of these similarities, attempts to revive the Nipmuc language could be greatly aided by the Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project.^[12]

The most famous Nipmuc phrases is preserved in the formal name for Lake Webster, Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, which roughly translates as "neutral boundary fishing place near the village of the isle of rushes".^[11][13]

Loup (Nipmuc?) and Massachusett

English	Loup (Nipmuc?)	Massachusett	English	Loup (Nipmuc?)	Massachusett
fall (season)	tagȣangȣ	taquònck	winter	pipon	papòne
fish	namensack	naumaùssuck	wolf	makȣsem	mukquoshim
spring	sigȣan	séquan	moon	kizȣs	keeswush

Territory

Generalized map of Nipmuc and their neighbors

The Nipmuc were once more numerous and wide-ranging than they are today. An informal history states that in early times:

“

There never was a Nipmuc tribe as such. Nipmuc is a geographical classification given to the native peoples who lived in central Massachusetts and the adjoining parts of southern New England. They lived in independent bands and villages, some of which at different times were allied with, or subject to, the powerful native confederacies which surrounded them. Massomuck, Monashackotoog, and Quinnebaug were Nipmuc, but they were subject to the Pequot before 1637. In like manner, the Nashaway at one time belonged to the Sokoni and Pennacook, while Squawkeag was originally part of the Pocumtuc.[14]

”

Today the 500 plus Nipmuc are recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; they live in and around the Chaubunagungamaug Reservation in Webster and the Hassanamisco Reservation in Grafton. Their territory may once have extended into northern Rhode Island and northeast Connecticut.^[14]

Legal Status

Main article: Nipmuc Nation

Congressman John Olver meets with a Nipmuc woman during the tribe's bid for Federal recognition.

This Indian group has long been officially recognized by the state of Massachusetts. In 2004 the Bureau of Indian Affairs decided that the group does not meet four of the seven requirements for Federal acknowledgment as a Native American "nation".^[15]

This prevents the Nipmuc from dealing with the U.S. Government on a "government-to-government" basis and prevents them from access to certain programs for Native Americans.

The BIA noted the following:

• Nipmuc families have long owned their land individually rather than communally; and
• They lost their tribal status by the "Massachusetts Enfranchisement Act of 1869", which gave them the right to vote.^[16]

The Nipmuc, like the Wampanoag, continue to have a special status within the Commonwealth.

Pre-colonial history

Coming from the southwest, Paleo Indians settled New England over 10,000 years ago, hunting the animals that inhabited the subarctic environment. Archeological records prove their presence dating back some 15,000-20,000 years ago. During the Archaic Period (8000 BCE–1000 BCE) the climate slowly warmed, bringing new plants and animals as well as changes in human culture and lifestyle.

During this period, the Nipmuc's ancestors were producing stone bowls, making bark, woven and wooden containers; and developed a written language, which remained in use until the historical period. Pesuponcks (ceremonial stone sweat lodges) were used for purification rituals. Many of the ancient chambers can still be found near the sites of Nipmuc villages.

During the Woodland Period (1000 BCE–1000 CE) and later, trade with other peoples brought the crops which became known as the "Three Sisters": maize, beans, and squash. With the development of agriculture, the people began to prosper, aided by surplus food. In time, Nipmuc territory was at the hub of the "Great Path" to all parts of the northeast.^[17]

Nipmuc homes were framed of deciduous saplings and covered with skins, bark and woven mats. The bow and arrow supplemented the use of spears in hunting and war.

Colonial-era history

Colonial records noted in 1630 that a Nipmuc known as Acquittamaug walked to the new struggling settlement of Boston with his father; each carried a bushel and a half of corn from Woodstock, Connecticut for sale to the starving colonists. A generation later, with increasing competition and conflict between the peoples, the colonists offered bounties on the scalps of Nipmuc: men, women, and children.

Ojibway oral history tells that prior to the arrival of the English settlers, a sign was given to the people, who understood a terrible thing was on its way to destroy them. They traveled west to new lands, taking the sacred fires with them, until it was safe to return to the homelands. The Ojibway refer to the Indians in New England as the ones who stayed behind.

Lee Sultzman summarizes:

“

Estimates of the pre-contact population of the Nipmuc are at best confusing, because there is no agreement as to which groups belonged to the Nipmuc. The numbers vary between 3,000 and 10,000 with as many as 40 villages. Some Nipmuc tribes were subject to the Pequot and sometimes have been included as part of the Pequot Confederacy. Freed in 1637 after the destruction of the Pequot by the English, they were classified in later years as Nipmuc. Similar problems exist with members of the Narragansett, Massachusett, Pocumtuc, Western Abenaki, and Pennacook. None of which is important until totals are taken, and several thousand people have not been counted ...or else several times.[14]

”

In 1644, John Winthrop the Younger, son of the first leader of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, purchased the Tantiusques graphite mine and the surrounding land from the Nipmuc. He began the first commercial mining operation in the region on the site.^[18] By the 1650s, many of the Nipmuc peoples had been brought into the fold as what the colonists called "Praying Indians", those who had adopted Christianity. The Nipmuc settled in the towns of Littleton (Nashoba), Grafton (Hassanamessit), Marlborough (Okommakamesit), Hopkinton (Makunkokoag), Mendon-Uxbridge (Wacentug), and Natick.

During King Philip’s War in 1675-1676, English colonists force-marched some 500-1000 Nipmuc from these locations to Deer Island in Boston Harbor, where they were kept without adequate food, clothing or shelter during a bitter winter. Hundreds died, and few returned to their native lands. Members of the Nipmuc Nation, and other groups who were imprisoned on Deer Island, return annually to mourn their ancestors.^[19] Also during the war, large numbers of Nipmuc, including many sachem, were either killed in battle or captured and hanged.

“

The first really accurate count of the Nipmuc occurred in 1680 following the King Philip's War. A little less than 1,000 Nipmuc survived, and these were confined to praying villages along with the remnants from other tribes. How many Nipmuc escaped to the Abenaki and Mahican and how many were killed during the war is anyone's guess. Within a few years it became impossible to assign tribal membership within the mixed populations at the praying villages.[14]

”

Some of the Praying towns such as Nashoba and Hassanamessit never recovered.

The Nipmuc today are mostly based out of Grafton, Massachusetts and Webster, Massachusetts

.

See also

• Nipmuc Nation
• Hassanamisco Nipmuc
• Chaubunagungamaug Reservation
• Lake Chaubunagungamaug
• Tantiusques

References

1. ^ See Pritzker, Barry M. A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. Oxford University Press, 2000, p. 442, where the Nipmuc are classed with the Narragansett, and noted to be speakers of an Eastern Algonquian language.
2. ^ Note that although the Federal government used the spelling "Nipmuck" in the decision described herein, the "Nipmuc" spelling is more used by members of the group themselves (as evidenced by the flag illustrated above). Likewise, search engine hits for "Nipmuc" greatly outnumber those for "Nipmuck.:
3. ^ Malinowski, S. and Sheets, A. (1998). Nipmuc. (1998). Gale encyclopedia of native american tribes: northeast, southeast, Caribbean. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Publishers.
4. ^ ^{a b} Sultzman, L. (2008, October 29). Nipmuc history. Retrieved from http://www.dickshovel.com/nipmuc.html
5. ^ Day, G. M. (1975). "The Mots Loups of Father Mathevet", Publications in Ethnology, no. 8. Ottawa: National Museum of Man
6. ^ Richardson, J. D. (Ed.). (1898). A compilation of the messages and papers of the presidents, 1789-1897: 1869-1881. Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia, per Congress. p. 507.
7. ^ Eliot, J. (1670). A Brief Narrative of the Progress of the Gospel amongst the Indians in New England. (1670). American historical documents. ed. Eliot, C. W. Vol. XLIII. Years 1909 - 1914. pp. 1909–14. New York: P.F. Collier & Son.
8. ^ Day, G. M. (1975). "The Mots Loups of Father Mathevet", Publications in Ethnology, no. 8. Ottawa: National Museum of Man
9. ^ Nipmuc placenames of new england. (1995). [Historical Series I ed. #III]. (Nipmuc Indian Association of Connecticut ), Retrieved from http://www.nativetech.org/Nipmuc/placenames/mainmass.html
10. ^ White, D. T. P. (Performer/Language Consultant). (2009. April, 13). We shall remain: after the mayflower [Television series episode]. In (Executive producer), The American Experience. Boston: PBS-WGBH.
11. ^ ^{a b} Nipmuc placenames of new england. (1995).
12. ^ Baird, J. L. D. (2010). Wôpanâak language reclamation project. Retrieved from http://wlrp.org/index.html
13. ^ United States Board of Geographic Names, Geographic Names Information Systems. (1974). Feature detail report for: lake chaubunagungamaug (ID: 619290). Reston, VA: USGS Publications. Retrieved from http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:3279698343892285::NO::P3_FID:619290
14. ^ ^{a b c d} Lee Sultzman, "Nipmuc History"
15. ^ Martin Issues Final Determination to Decline Federal Acknowledgment of The Nipmuc Nation
16. ^ "Proposed Finding Against Federal Acknowledgment of the Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians"
17. ^ "Landscape Planning Study", Webster Lake Association
18. ^ "Tantiusques", The Trustees of Reservations
19. ^ History: "Historical Summary", Nipmuc Nation Official Website

External links

• Nipmuc Tribal Web Site
• Nipmuc History
• Nipmuc Place Names of New England