Northeast Wigwam | Native American Tribal Groups

External Links

Praying Indians (University of Mass)

The Wabenaki Confederation

(People of the Day Break or Dawnland People)

Western Abenaki of Vermont and New Hampshire includes:

St. Francis/Sokoki Band

Pennacook

Winnipesaukee

Pigwacket

Cowasuck

Eastern Abenaki of Maine includes:

Penobscot

Androscoggin

Wawenock

Passamaquoddy

Also included in Maine are:

Micmac

Maliseet

The Praying Indians of New England

The term “Praying Towns” generally refers to those Indian communities in New England in the 17th century where missionaries visited on a regular basis, and were able to successfully convert the native inhabitants to Christianity.

Following King Philip’s War (1675-1676), these towns also served as supposed havens for those who had been displaced, relocated or whose lives had been disrupted by the war.

Many of the Indian natives of these towns readily adopted Christianity and erected churches and schools, where many of the Indians themselves became preachers and school teachers.

These towns were sometimes synonymous with the term “reservation” that we know of today.

As there were many of these “towns” in New England, so many some were never even recorded, the following is a list of a few of the more well documented Praying Towns, or as they are also called “Old Praying Towns” in Massachusetts, not including Cape Cod in the 1600’s. Of course there were many others throughout the Northeast.

Natick (eventually forced to relocate to Deer Isle in Boston Harbor in 1676?)

Okommakamesit (Marlboro - eventually forced to relocate to Deer Isle in Boston Harbor in 1676?)

Punkapog (Canton) (eventually forced to relocate to Deer Isle in Boston Harbor in 1676?)

Magunkaquog (Ashland)

Hassanamesitt (Grafton)

Chaubanakongkomun (Webster)

Wamesit (Lowell)

Nashoba (Littleton)

Famous preachers and teachers of these towns included the Rev. John Eliot who preached, traveled and taught throughout New England and documented many of his experiences, Samson Occom, the Pequot preacher who became a major leader in the Brotherton movement of southeastern New England and Long Island tribal members to the Oneida territory in the late 1700’s in upstate New York, and William Apes, a Mohegan Indian who has left us his memoirs on 16th century natives.

Many (if not all) of the present day New England and New York Indian reservations were established “Praying Towns” or “Christian Towns” in the 17th century.

Haudenosaunee - The Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederation

(People of the Longhouse)

Cayuga

Mohawk

Oneida - People of the standing stone

Onondaga - Keeper of the Fire

Seneca - Keeper of the Western Door

Tuscarora