Sachem

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It has been suggested that Sagamore (title) be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

For other uses, see Sachem (disambiguation).

A sachem is the head of a Native American tribe. One source explains:

According to Captain John Smith, who explored New England in 1614, the Massachusett tribes called their kings "sachems" while the Penobscots (of Maine) used the term "sagamos" (anglicized as "sagamore"). Conversely, Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley of Roxbury wrote in 1631 that the kings in the 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, modern opinion is that "sachem" and "sagamore" are dialectical variations of the same word.^[1]

The "great chief" (Algonquin: massasoit sachem) whose aid was such a boon to the Plymouth Colony is remembered today simply as Massasoit.^[2]

[edit] Cognates

Derived from the Proto-Eastern Algonquian sākimāw:

sâchim (Narragansett language); anglicised as Sachem^[3]
sakəma (Eastern Abnaki language); anglicised as Sagamore^[3]
sakom (Malecite-Passamaquoddy language)^[4]
sôgmô (Western Abnaki language)^[5]

Derived from the Proto-Central Algonquian hākimāw:

ogimaa (Anishinaabe language);^[6] written as ogimà in the Algonquin language,^[7] gimaa in the Ottawa language,^[8] wgema in the Potawatomi language; anglicised as Ogema.
uchimaa (Northern^[9] and Southern East Cree languages^[10])
iiyuuchimaaw (Naskapi language)^[11]

[edit] See also

Sagamore

[edit] References

^ The Daily Times Chronicle, Winchester Edition, December 1999
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b Goddard, 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
^ Francis, David A., Sr. et al. Maliseet - Passamaquoddy Dictionary. Mi'kmaq - Maliseet Institute
^ Laurent, Joseph (1884) New familiar Abenakis and English dialogues the first ever published on the grammatical system
^ Nichols, John, and Earl Nyholm. (1995). A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
^ Mcgregor, Ernest. (1994). Algonquin Lexicon. Maniwaki, QC: Kitigan Zibi Education Council.
^ Rhodes, Richard A. (1985). Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
^ Bobbish-Salt, Luci et. al. (2004-2006). Northern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board.
^ Neeposh, Ella et. al. (2004-2007). Southern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board.
^ MacKenzie, Marguerite and Bill Jancewicz. (1994). Naskapi lexicon. Kawawachikamach, Quebec: Naskapi Development Corp.