Chief Metacom’s leadership was said to have rendered one of the most devastating wars in the history of Native Americans. In one generation, records reveal that 3 of his family served as chiefs at the same time. This is one manifestation of how he was really build to serve as a chief or sachem.

Chief Metacom and His Early Life

Chief Metacom was known by many names. The most common of them all was Metacomet. However, he was also known by a famous name that is clearly still fresh in the minds of the people today: he was also Metacom King Philip. His father was Massasoit, and his brother was Wamsutta. Both were also chiefs.  He was born in Massachusetts in 1638. He belonged to the Wampanoags tribe. In his early years, his tribe was living peacefully with the Pilgrims. With this, their tribe absorbed the setting of the english name for themselves, thus Philip for him and Alexander for his brother. Their English names were given by the governor of Plymouth. Looking back, some said that such change in English names was a form of downplaying the significance of the people’s original Native American names. However, at that time, it was a form of honor. His early years were filled with peace despite the infusion of pilgrims in their day to day living. It was also a time where the Native Indian tribe was able to get a taste and feel of different white American items such as alcohol, guns, and blankets.

Chief Metacom’s Rise to Chieftainship

He started in 1662 as a successor of his brother. By then, the tribe was already facing dilemmas against the European settlers who were trying to steal their lands. The Plymouth, or the Puritans, were already eyeing their lands in the hope of further expanding their territories. Unfortunately, the locus of control has weakened after the death of Chief Metacom’s father. It further weakened during the reign of his brother, Alexander.

After his succession to the position, Chief Metacom proceeded to reestablish their ties with the European settlers. At the same time, it was also a form of throwing out the rumors that he was leading an uproar. However, it was difficult to stay calm during that time because one way or another, there is indeed a tribe planning for an uproar. The problem is the identification of their identity.

Unfortunately, because King Philip Metacom was not able to convince the Puritans about his innocence in the planning of the uproar, they were forced to surrender their weapons, specifically guns. Having enough of all the brute force being experienced, Chief Metacom answered such demand with resistance. Many other tribe leaders followed his suit as he, and his family, was one of the most respected Chief in the history of Native Americans.

Pre-King Philip’s War

Though it is true that Chief Metacom and other chiefs were able to sustain their rights to hold their rights in having guns, little by little, they were losing their other rights. This was because Chief Metacom ended up signing different treaties. It was a forced way of feeding the tribes with the English sovereignty. Little by little, they lost their trading rights, and the people were forced to become dependent on the resources of the Europeans. Chief Metacom was indeed a king, but somehow a powerless one. Eventually, the resentment grew. However, the war was only able to really pushed through because of John Sassamon.

King Philip’s War

This war was a product of the unification of the different Native American tribes against the European government, specifically the Wampanoag, Nipmuck, Pocumtuck, and Narragansett tribes. It started when John Sassamon, a Wampanoag tribe, did a treacherous act. He was a returnee. He was a new Christian and he knew how to speak English. With his interaction with the tribe, he claimed to have known the uprising plans of the tribe and he reported it to the Plymouth. Later on, John Sassamon was found dead, and the people of Chief Metacom was accused of being the murderer.

With this, around 3 of Chief Metacom’s men were put to trial and sentenced to death. This is where the chief finally decided it is about time to turn the uproar into reality. He leads a raid to the territories of the English armies; a declaration of war. His unified tribes also ended up fighting against other tribes who sided with the English, namely Mohegan, Pequot, Massachusetts, and Nauset Indians. Unfortunately, his people were overpowered overtime. Once defeat became clear, he decided to flee and went to his ancestral home to hide. Again, he was betrayed by another informant. With his location revealed, he was captured and then beheaded. Basically, the war was some sort of a failure because the attack was made despite the not fully established alliance of Chief Metacom’s people, not to mention lack of weapons enough to overpower those of the Europeans.

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