This articlerelies largely or entirely on asingle source. Relevant discussion may be found on thetalk page. Please helpimprove this article byintroducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Wompatuck" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(December 2022)

Wompatuck (ca. 1627^[1] - 1669), also spelledWampatuck, wassachem, or paramount chief, of the Mattakeesett band ofMassachusett Indians.

Wompatuck was also known as Wampatuck, Josias Wampatuck, and Josiah Sagamore.Wampatuck translates to mean "snow goose" in theWampanoag language. It has also been ascribed by the City of Braintree, MA and Braintree school mascot debaters to the translation of “snow deer”, however a definitive Wampanoag tribal translation citation is required to clarify this dual or confusing etymology.^{[citation needed]}

Wampatuck's father was the sachemChikataubut. After Chikataubut died of smallpox in 1633, Wompatuck's uncle,Cutshamekin succeeded as sachem and helped to raise Wompatuck.

After Cutshamekin died around 1655, Wompatuck succeeded him and likewise became an early Native American ally of British colonists. Like his father and uncle, he sold theBritish colonists the land upon which the city ofBoston,Massachusetts, was established in 1629 and other surrounding towns were established.

After a harsh attack on his tribe by the Haudenosaunee (orIroquois) in 1665, Wompatuck organized a great retaliatory expedition, involving several Massachusett tribes with 600 or 700 warriors, against Mohawk's capital, Gandaouaguè. Returning to Massachusetts, his column was ambushed and he was slain in 1669 when he led a force of his warriors in an attack upon theMohawks.^[2] Wompatuck's son,Charles Josias Wampatuck, became sachem after his death.^[3]

TwoUnited States Navy ships – the armedtugUSS Wompatuck (YT-27), in commission from 1898 to 1931, and theharbor tugUSS Wampatuck (YT-337), laterYTB-337, in commission from 1942 to 1946 – have been named for Wompatuck.

Wompatuck State Park located inHingham, Massachusetts is also named after Wompatuck.

•  This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
• Department of the Navy Naval Historical CenterDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Wampatuck (ship namesake paragraph)

• Native American leaders
• 1669 deaths
• Massachusett people
• Native American history of Massachusetts
• Native American people from Massachusetts
• 1620s births

• Articles needing additional references from December 2022
• All articles needing additional references
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from November 2021
• Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
• Date of death missing
• Date of birth unknown