The Story of Epenow & Our Unit on East Coast Native American Tribes
In this unit, the students went forward in time roughly 100 years to study the English invasion of the East Coast of America (1607 - present). There they encountered the Powhatan in what is now Virginia and the Nauset and Wampanoag in what is now Massachusetts. We studied the wars that inevitably came out of these colonization efforts, the Powhatan Wars and King Phillip's War. We also learned the fascinating story of Epenow, a Nauset Sachem (Chief) from Noepe (now known commonly as Martha's Vineyard). Epenow was A Nauset man from Martha’s Vineyard, then known as Noepe. While the Nauset were a distinct tribe, they were often subject to Wampanoag rule and shared with them aspects of culture, agricultural practices and a common language. This tribe was the native tribe of Cape Cod and the islands. It is a misunderstanding to think that the Pilgrims were the first English people in Massachusetts. The English were jealous of the Spanish's discovery of gold and wanted a