Wampanoag

Wampanoag, North American tribe of the Algonquian-Ritwan language family and of the Northeast culture area. They formerly occupied the territory between the eastern shore of Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic coast, including the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. In 1620 the Wampanoag were said to be settled in about 30 villages. Massasoit, a Wampanoag chief, signed the first peace treaty with the English colonists. Some decades later Massasoit's son Philip led the tribe in an unsuccessful uprising known as King Philip's War. In the 2000 U.S. census about 2,300 people identified themselves as Wampanoag only; an additional 2,300 people reported being part Wampanoag. See also Native Americans of North America: Northeast.