Maushop (sometimes Moshup) is a mythical hero and giant from Wampanoag folklore. He is said to have several companions, including a giant frog and his wife Granny Squannit.
Maushop served as an explanation for geographical locations. According to legend, he came from Aquinnah on Cape Cod and lived there from before the Wampanoag. Maushop was so large that his diet consisted mainly of whales. To catch them, he threw boulders into the water to make stepping stones. During a celebration, he emptied his pipe ashes into the ocean, and they became Nantucket. [1]
At one point, a crab bites his toe causing him to stomp around, leaving large footprints in the ground. Moshup's Rock is named for this story, before Christian missionaries renamed it to "Devil's Footprint." [2]
Maushop was seen as a provider for the Wampanoag, teaching them how to hunt and fish. The Wampanoag apparently became too reliant on him, so he left so they would learn how to survive on their own. [3]
The Pequot are a Native American people of Connecticut. The modern Pequot are members of the federally recognized Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, four other state-recognized groups in Connecticut including the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, or the Brothertown Indians of Wisconsin. They historically spoke Pequot, a dialect of the Mohegan-Pequot language, which became extinct by the early 20th century. Some tribal members are undertaking revival efforts.
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Aquinnah is a town located on the western end of Martha's Vineyard island, Massachusetts. From 1870 to 1997, the town was incorporated as Gay Head. At the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 439. Aquinnah is known for its beautiful clay cliffs and natural serenity, as well as its historical importance to the native Wampanoag people. In 1965, Gay Head Cliffs were designated as a National Natural Landmark by the National Park Service.
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King Philip's War was an armed conflict in 1675–1676 between New England Indian tribes and New England colonists and their Indian allies. The war is named for Metacom, the Wampanoag chief who adopted the name Philip because of the friendly relations between his father Massasoit and the Mayflower Pilgrims. The war continued in the most northern reaches of New England until the signing of the Treaty of Casco Bay on April 12, 1678.
Samoset was an Abenaki sagamore and the first American Indian to make contact with the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in New England. He startled the colonists on March 16, 1621 by walking into Plymouth Colony and greeting them in English, saying "Welcome, Englishmen."
The Wampanoag, also rendered Wôpanâak, are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island, Their territory historically includes the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
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Emma Tyler Fielding Baker Dec. 5, 1828 - Jan. 20, 1916) was a member of the Mohegan Pequot Indian tribe and was posthumously awarded the title of Mohegan medicine woman in 1992. Medicine women were culture-bearers and required to have an in-depth knowledge of tribal customs and possess good leadership qualities. She was also a tribal historian and ceremonial leader of the Mohegan Tribe.
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Granny Squannit is a mythological figure from Wampanoag folklore. She is the wife of the giant Maushop and can be either a small woodland or sea creature.