Uncas () was a sachem of the Mohegans who made the Mohegans the leading regional Indian tribe in lower Connecticut, through his alliance with the New England colonists against other Indian tribes.

Early life and family

thumb|upright=1.1|Document signed by Uncas and his wife

Uncas was born near the Thames River in present-day Connecticut, the son of the Mohegan sachem Owaneco. Uncas is a variant of the Mohegan term Wonkus, meaning "Fox". He was a descendant of the principal sachems of the Mohegans, Pequots, and Narragansetts. Owaneco presided over the village known as Montonesuck. Uncas was bilingual, learning Mohegan and some English, and possibly some Dutch.

In 1626, Owaneco arranged for Uncas to marry the daughter of the principal Pequot sachem Tatobem to secure an alliance with them. Uncas had a total of seven wives, each of them high ranking in their own rights in the community. Owaneco died shortly after Uncas's first marriage, and Uncas had to submit to Tatobem's authority. Tatobem was captured and killed by the Dutch in 1633; Sassacus became his successor, but Uncas felt that he deserved to be sachem.

Mohegan and Pequot Tribal Split

Owaneco's alliance with Tatobem was based upon a balance of power between the Mohegans and Pequots. After the death of Owaneco, the balance changed in favour of the Pequots. Uncas was unwilling to challenge the power of Tatobem; however, Uncas did begin contesting Pequot authority over the Mohegans. He deployed numerous hunting parties into Pequot land. Uncas's "loyalty" to the colonists can perhaps also be seen in the way he spoke to powerful colonial figures such as Thomas Hooker, who he claimed planned for and wanted the war, though his claims remain unproven. and lifted the siege. The New England Confederation pledged any offensive action required to preserve Uncas in "his liberty and estate". The New England administration sent troops to defend the Mohegan fort at Shantok. When the colonists threatened to invade Narragansett territory, the Narragansett signed a peace treaty.

In 1646, the tributary tribe at Nameag, consisting of former Pequots, allied with the colonists and tried to become more independent. In response, Uncas attacked and plundered their village. The Bay Colony governor responded by threatening to allow the Narragansetts to attack the Mohegans. For the next several years, the New England colonists both asserted the Nameag's tributary status while supporting the Nameags in their independence. In 1655, the New England government removed the tribe from Uncas' authority.

King Philip's War

King Philip's War started in June 1675. As tension was growing, Uncas strategically made friends with John Finch, a Christian preacher. Finch vouched on Uncas and the Mohegans behalf, promising their loyalty to the English. Uncas pledged his own son, Oneco and fifty warriors to fight with the colonists. He also gave up some of the weapons he had, as a show of good faith. In return, the Mohegans were supplied with arms from the Connecticut Council of War. Uncas saved Thomas Lathrop, an English captain, from an ambush. In the summer, the Mohegans officially entered the war on the side of the New England colonists. Uncas and his son led their forces in joint attacks with the colonists against the Wampanoags.

  • James Fenimore Cooper's book The Last of the Mohicans had Chingachgook's son named Uncas.
  • The two-masted wooden schooner Diosa del Mar was originally christened Uncas by the owning Vanderbilt family.
  • Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser Busch, owned a summer estate in Cooperstown, New York, called the Uncas Lodge, a racehorse named Chief Uncas, as well as an ELCO ship named Chief Uncas (Boat). The Chief Uncas is still in operation today .
  • Four United States Navy ships have been named USS Uncas.
  • Uncasville in Eastern Connecticut is named after him.
  • Uncas Lake in Nahantic State Forest, Lyme, CT is also named after the sachem.
  • In the ceremonies of the Boy Scouts of America honor society the Order of the Arrow, a young man named Uncas is depicted as the son of a fictional Lenni Lenape chieftain named Chief Chingachgook, who is sent on a diplomatic mission by Chingachgook to unite the tribes of the Delaware Valley into a powerful alliance.
  • In the DC Comics book Superman #276 in June 1974, Captain Thunder's attributes is labeled as "the bravery of Uncas."

See also

  • Oneco
  • John Mason (colonist)

Footnotes

References

  • Oberg, Michael Leroy, Uncas First of the Mohegans, 2003,