The Last Indians Of Nantucket Island

Native Americans established settlement areas on the coastal areas of Massachusetts, including Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard Island on a seasonal basis. The three principal tribes were the Massachusetts (or Naticks), the Nipmucks, and the Wampanoags when the first European Pilgrims arrived in 1659. The island sachems (chiefs) negotiated deeds, drawn up by the newcomers, related to grazing rights, use of commons, and rights to own horses and hunt pilot whales in the shallows. Martha's Vineyard was purchased by Thomas Mayhew in 1642. Nantucket was purchased and divided into lots accordingly. Eventually, the Native American's claim to Nantucket Island ended with the White's ownership. Many male Wampanoag were sold into slavery in Bermuda or the West Indies, or on plantations and farms run by colonists in New England. This book, "The Last Indians Of Nantucket Island" lays out the history and expulsion of the Indians of Nantucket.