WAMPANOAO ((Eastern lane), a tribe of the Algonquian stodc of North American In dians, closely related to the Massachusetts tribe, whose language they spoke. They were some times called Polcanokets, from their principal village, and Massasoits. from a prominent chief. The Wampanoags resided on Narragansett Bay, in Bristol County, R. I., and Bristol County, Mass., but originally the, claimed the territory between Narrangansett Bay and Paw tucicet River and the Atlantic, including the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The Cane Cod branch of the tribe were visited by Gosnold in 1602, and by other whites at an early date. In 1617 many of their number per ished from disease, prior to which time they claimed to have had 5,000 warriors. or about 18,000 souls. When the Plymouth Colony was planted in 1620 the Wampanoags inhabited 30 villages; Massasoit was their chief, and the treaty which he made with the colonists was faithfully observed by him until his death. He
was succeeded by his son, popularly known as ((King Philip,0 who, chafing under the ill-treat ment which his people had suffered at the bands ot the whites, aroused the resentment of all the Algonquian tribes from the Merri mac to the Thames (except the Wampanoags of Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard), and in 1675 began a war against the whites which con tinued for two years and proved to be the most disastrous Indian conflict in New England his tory. The Indians were ultimately overcome, but not until Philip and other leading chiefs had been killed, and the Wampanoags and Narragansetts almost exterminated. Those who could, fled to the interior tribes, many captives.were sold .as slaves, and others joined the various (praying Indians( of southern Massachusetts.