When the Pilgrims first landed at Plymouth Rock, they were met by Ousamequin, the Massasoit or Great Sachem of the Wampanoag Confederacy. Ousamequin and the Pokanoket people aided the refugees who landed on their shores, and it was he who signed the Pilgrim-Wampanoag Peace Treaty along with Plymouth's founding governor, John Carver.
Then Ousamequin died. His son, Metacomet, took over as leader, and even asked the English settlers to give him a name in their language—King Philip—in accordance with their custom.
But not all of the Plymouth colonists cared about the treaty they had initially signed with Ousamequin, and they soon began claiming more and more land. In response, Metacomet rallied other tribes from the Wampanoag Confederacy to push the colonists back. The conflict grew into what became known as King Philip's War—which came to an end when Metacomet's corpse was quartered and hanged from the trees as a trophy for the settlers, and a warning to the indigenous population.
Needless to say, that early peace treaty was no longer being recognized.
But 400 years later, Brown University has finally agreed to honor at least a part of that initial treaty. The University has owned the land looking out over Mount Hope Bay since the 1950s. Following a 2017 protest by the continuing Pokanoket Tribe, the University has agreed to return 255 acres of land——including the spot where Metacomet was killed and displayed.
Tracey "Dancing Star" Trezvant Guy, the current sachem of the tribe, told The Boston Globe:
The significance of this land goes back to time immemorial for our people. For the first time in over 340 years, we unlocked the gates to the property for ourselves and walked onto our land. That is significant. It is historical.
We are the original stewards of this land. The Creator entrusted us with this land, and we will do nothing less than what needs to be done in the best interest of it.
More from the Globe:
Taino J. Palermo, a lawyer and advocate who served as counsel for the Pokanoket tribe in negotiations with Brown, said the land transfer is a significant historical and cultural event.
[…]
Palermo, legal director for the Center for Indigenous Peoples Rights, said the transfer represents a "profound" example of the #LandBack movement, an effort by Indigenous people to reclaim control over land their ancestors inhabited.
"We are not talking about a land acknowledgment or cultural appreciation," Palermo said. "This is actual assets that Brown University, a private land owner, transferred ― something they didn't need to do. Brown should be given credit. They have set a precedent to show other institutions they can do this."
Brown University transfers 255 acres in Bristol, R.I., to the Pokanoket Indian tribe: 'We are the original stewards' [Edward Fitzpatrick / The Boston Globe]
Previously:
• California town asked to return a beachside hotel
• 700 acres of California coastline to be returned to Native Americans
• How carbon credits helped a Native American tribe buy back its land and revitalize it
