Asachem/ˈseɪtʃəm/ orsagamore/ˈsæɡəmɔːr/ is a usually maleparamount chief among theAlgonquians or otherNative American tribes of northeasternNorth America, including theIroquois. The two words areanglicizations ofcognate terms (c. 1622) from differentEastern Algonquian languages. Some sources indicate the sagamore was a lesserchief elected by a single band, while the sachem was the head or representative elected by a tribe or group of bands;[1][2][3][4] others suggest the two terms were interchangeable.[5] The sachem is an appointed or elected position and not strictly hereditary.[6] However, the choice of sachem is at least partly based on the prominence of the individual's family or kinship ties to the previous sachem.
TheOxford English Dictionary found a use from 1613. The term "Sagamore" appears inNoah Webster's firstAn American Dictionary of the English Language published in 1828, as well as the 1917Webster's New International Dictionary.[7]
One modern source explains:
According to CaptainJohn Smith, who explored New England in 1614, the Massachusett tribes called their kings "sachems" while thePenobscots (of present-day Maine) used the term "sagamos" (anglicized as "sagamore"). Conversely, Deputy GovernorThomas Dudley of Roxbury wrote in 1631 that the kings in the Massachusetts Bay bay area were called sagamores, but were called sachems southward (in Plymouth). The two terms apparently came from the same root. Although "sagamore" has sometimes been defined by colonists and historians as a subordinate lord (or subordinate chief[8]), modern opinion is that "sachem" and "sagamore" are dialectical variations of the same word.[9]
The "great chief" (Southern New EnglandAlgonquian:massasoit sachem) whose aid was such a boon to thePlymouth Colony—although his motives were complex[23]—is remembered today as simplyMassasoit.[24]
The leader of New York City'sTammany Hall was officially referred to as Sachem.[25]
In the 1940s, the legislature ofIndiana created the honorary title of "Sagamore of the Wabash", analogous toKentucky Colonel. In 1996, the government designated "Sachem of the Wabash" as a higher honor.[26]
^abGoddard, Ives (1978). "Eastern Algonquian languages", in "Northeast", ed. Bruce G. Trigger. Vol. 15 of Handbook of North American Indians, ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 75
^"sakima".Lenape Talking Dictionary. Archived fromthe original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved2011-02-19.
^Bobbish-Salt, Luci et al. (2004–06).Northern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board.
^Neeposh, Ella et al. (2004–07).Southern EastCree Dictionary. Cree School Board.
^MacKenzie, Marguerite and Bill Jancewicz. (1994).Naskapi lexiconArchived 2008-05-27 at theWayback Machine. Kawawachikamach, Quebec: Naskapi Development Corp.
^Jankowski, Jane; Rateike, Brad (13 March 2007)."Governor presents Sachem to Jane Blaffer Owen" (Press release). Indianapolis, Indiana: Office of Governor Mitch Daniels. Retrieved14 June 2023.
Look upsachem orsagamore in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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