Chronology of American Indian History

addition to taking the blame for various acts of mis-
conduct, they cede land, promise to pay a tribute
for every Pequot living among them, and give up
several tribe members to the English as a guarantee
that they will obey the colonists in the future.

1646

October

The Powhatan make peace with the English.
Exhausted after two years of fighting (see entry for
APRIL 18, 1646), the Powhatan negotiate a truce
with the Virginia colonists. In the peace treaty, a
boundary is drawn between their lands, but the
English soon routinely ignore the border, and the
Indians are too weak to enforce it.
The agreement comes on the heels of the death
of Opechancanough, the organizer of the most sus-
tained Powhatan uprising (see entry for MARCH 22,
1622). More than 80 years old, he was taken pris-
oner by the English. Unable to walk unaided,
Openchancanough was carried by his captors to
Jamestown, where he was shot by a militiaman.

1649

The Society for the Propagation of the
Gospel in New England is founded.
The English parliament establishes the Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in New England.
The first organization to promote Protestant con-
version efforts in North America, the society will
sponsor most of the missionary work in the English
colonies before the American Revolution, including
that of the influential clergymen John Eliot (see en-
tries for 1651 and 1663) and Thomas Mayhew (see
entry for AUGUST 22, 1670).

March

The Iroquois nearly annihilate the Huron.
With the expansion of the fur trade, old rivalries
between the Iroquois and Huron (see entries for

SUMMER 1609 and AUGUST 1615) grow increas-

ingly intense. The powerful Iroquois particularly

resent the Huron’s success as middlemen. The

Huron have amassed great wealth by trading corn

to tribes in the north for beaver pelts, which they

then trade to their French allies for European man-

ufactured goods.

Armed with guns obtained from the Dutch

(see entry for 1643), warriors from the Mohawk

and Seneca tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy

storm the Huron villages, attacking with a ferocity

scarcely seen before in Indian warfare. The Huron

population, already ravaged by smallpox (see entry

for 1633), is decimated by the Iroquois assault. The

few survivors are forced to flee their homeland for-

ever. Some escape to what is now Quebec, Canada,

while others, later called the Wyandot, head west to

lands in present-day Michigan and Ohio. A num-

ber of Huron are also adopted by their Iroquois

enemies, to replace warriors killed in battle.

1650

The Iroquois begin expanding into the

Great Lakes region.

As fur-bearing animals near extinction in the Iro-

quois’ territory in present-day New York State, the

powerful confederacy of tribes moves westward to-

ward the rich hunting grounds of the Great Lakes

area. The Iroquois forcibly expel many of the tribes

native to the region. In this expansion, the Iroquois

will nearly exterminate some tribes, such as the

Petun and Erie (see entry for 1654). Other larger

groups, such as the Chippewa, Shawnee, and Chey-

enne, will be forced to abandon their homelands

and move elsewhere.

May 30

New Netherlands outlaws counterfeit

wampum.

The Council of New Netherlands declares the

manufacture of wampum by Dutch traders to be

illegal. Wampum are white and purple shell beads