Sachems and sagamores are among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois. The two words are of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Algonquian languages. Some sources indicate the sagamore was a lesser tribal chief elected by a single band, while the sachem was the head or representative elected by a tribe or group of bands;[ Life & Times: Squaw Sachem" , Hawthorne in Salem, The Daily Times Chronicle, Winchester Edition (MA), December 1999, accessed 27 Jan 2010] The positions are elective, not hereditary.[Kehoe, Alice. North American Indians, A Comprehensive Account. Third Edition. 2006] Although not strictly hereditary the title of Sachem is often passed through the equivalent of tanistry.
Etymology
The Oxford English Dictionary found a use from 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 Penobscot people (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 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[ Life & Times: Squaw Sachem" , Hawthorne in Salem, The Daily Times Chronicle, Winchester Edition (MA), December 1999, accessed 27 Jan 2010]
Cognate words
|
|
| Eastern Algonquian | Proto-Eastern Algonquian | *sākimāw | theoretical reconstruction |
| Narragansett | sâchim | anglicized as sachem[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] |
| Lenape language | sakima | derived from earlier form sakimaw |
| Eastern Abnaki | sakəma | anglicized as sagamore |
| Mi'kmaq | saqamaw | Ninigret |
| Malecite-Passamaquoddy | sakom | [Francis, David A., Sr. et al. Maliseet - Passamaquoddy Dictionary. Mi'kmaq - Maliseet Institute] |
| Western Abnaki | sôgmô | |
| Wangunk | sequin | |
| 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 language | gimaa | [Rhodes, Richard A. (1985). Eastern Ojibwa-Chippewa-Ottawa Dictionary. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.] |
| Potawatomi | wgema | anglicised as Ogema |
| Eastern Swampy Cree | okimâw | [MacKenzie, Marguerite (editor). (c2007). Wasaho Ininîwimowin Dictionary (Fort Severn Cree). Kwayaciiwin Education Resource Centre.] |
| Northern East Cree | uchimaa | [Bobbish-Salt, Luci et al. (2004–06). Northern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board.] |
| Southern East Cree | uchimaa | [Neeposh, Ella et al. (2004–07). Southern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board.] |
| Naskapi language | iiyuuchimaaw | [MacKenzie, Marguerite and Bill Jancewicz. (1994). Naskapi lexicon . Kawawachikamach, Quebec: Naskapi Development Corp.] |
| Miami-Illinois | akima | |
Chiefs
The "great chief" (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 Mohegan tribe, 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 included Uncas, Wonalancet, Madockawando, and Samoset.
In popular culture
Government and politics
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The leader of New York City's Tammany Hall was officially referred to as Sachem.
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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.
Schools
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Sachem School District, on Long Island, one of the largest school districts on the island.
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Algonquin Regional High School, in Northborough, MA, named its art and poetry magazine Sachem after this Algonquian word.
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Laconia High School, in Laconia, NH, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
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Middleborough High School, in Middleboro, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
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Pentucket Regional High School, in West Newbury, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
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Saugus High School, in Saugus, MA, refers to all of its athletic teams as the "Sachems".
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Massapequa High School, in Massapequa, NY, named its annual student yearbook The Sachem.
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The Sachems, a secret society at Columbia University
