Deed 1680 Indigenous Peoples

King Philip’s War (1675-1676): A year-long military conflict between English settlers, their Indigenous allies and a confederation of Indigenous soldiers allied under Wampanoag sachem Metacom (a.k.a King Phillip). One of the bloodiest wars per capita fought on what is now U.S. soil, King Philip’s War resulted in the increased enslavement, and land loss of Indigenous Peoples throughout New England.

Land deeds: Legal agreements between Indigenous Peoples and English settlers in New England regarding the buying, selling, and use of parcels of land. Land deeds needed to be approved by the General Court of Massachusetts.

Massachusett: An Indigenous nation that traditionally inhabited territory from the present-day city of Boston down to Plymouth County. Their land included what is now Dedham. For more about contemporary Massachusett life and culture: http://massachusetttribe.org/

Punkapoag: Originally a Massachusett winter community that stretched from what is now Dedham to Canton. In 1657, it was reduced to a 6,000-acre mission or “Praying Town.” Many of the residents of Punkapoag held Indian title to land that became part of Dedham.

Indian Title: A term in the English legal system that acknowledged that Indigenous Peoples had the right to occupy land. It reflected Indigenous land inheritance practices.

By the 1680s many Indigenous Peoples could no longer access parcel of land they held in title due the aftermath of King Philip’s War and the increasing English-settler population. Changes to the Massachusetts Bay Charter in the 1680s forced English settlers to confirm that they had purchased all Indian title to the land within their town borders from Indigenous title holders. Indigenous signatories of land grants often sold land in exchange for money, trade goods, and to alleviate debt. They sometimes retained access to hunting, fishing, or farming rights within the sold parcel of land. The deeds confirmed that English settlers could legally occupy and use the land.

The following text is a transcription of a land deed from April 1680. It is a legal agreement signed by representatives of the English settlers of Dedham Massachusetts and a group of Massachusett siblings from Punkapoag. They negotiated the sale of a parcel of land within the borders of Dedham. Although the siblings did not live in Dedham at the time of the transaction, they held Indian title to the land according to Indigenous understandings of land ownership and the English legal system. By selling the land they cleared their title to the parcel. They also sold their title to any other parcels of land within Dedham’s borders with this deed.

Know all men by these presents that wee William Nahaton Alius Quaanan, & his brothers Peter Natoogus, & Benjamin Nahaton, & there sisters Tah kee suisk Nahuton, & Hanna Nahaton Alius Iam now wosh liueing in P[u?]nkapogg nere blue hill, in the Bounds of Dorchester, in the county of Suffolke, in the Massachusets Clloney in New England, for, & in Consideration of good & valueable pay in hand received, & [?]ll & truely payd, by the towne of Dedham, in the County of Suffolke aforesayd, wherewith wee do acknowledge our selues, fully Satisfied, & well contented, Doe Alienate, Grant, Assign, Enfoesse, Bargain, Sell & Confirme, And by these presents Haue fully and Absolutely, Aliened, Granted, Assigne[d], Enfeossed, Bargained & Sould, & Confirmed, to the says Towne of Dedham, and there success[o?]rs, & assignes foreuer, All our Right, title & intrest, to any Lands Lyeing within the whole bounds of Dedham, & Especially our Right, title and whole intrest in a parcell or Tract of Land as it Lyeth towards the Northerly side of the bounds of Dedham, by the Great falls, in charlse river as it is bounded, & abutteth upon the sayd charlse River towards the east, and abutteth upon the sayd Riuer upstreame as the Riuer Lyeth & so [continueing?] abutting upon the sayd Riuer uptill it come to the brook Called Natick saw mill brooke & abutteth upon the sayd brook towards the west & so with a varying line nere the southerly side of the heard yard, and from thence nere the fott of Maugus hill on the Southerly side, and from thence the same course untill the line come to that Brook Called Rosemary meadow brooke and the sayd brook to the Riuer Called Charlse River is the rest of the Bounds aforesayd, All wich sayd tract of Land upland meadowes swamped & Lands of all sorts we the sayd Indians aforenamed, Doe hereby [Anounce?] & declare ourselues to be at the day of the date hereof the only, due, true & Legall owners of all the aboue demised premises by way of Indian Title from the Right of our mother, being the lands of Qunanan our mothers father. And wee do further warrant & asure all the said Tract of Lands of all therin Conteyned together with all the wood Timber deed improuemts, Rights privelidges, proffits Comodities Conueniances, & appurtenances therin, there upon, or that doth any way apperteyne [?] on any the premises wahtsoeuer TO HAUE AND TO HOLD to the sayd Towne of Dedham, ther Heyers successers, and Assignes, [asure?] good estate in ffee simple, & firme inheritance, in peaceable Posession foreuer, Free acquit & discharged of and from all Debts, Mortgages, Leases, Entayles, Dowryes, Titles of Dowry & all other Legall Mollestations, & encumberances whatsoever, from, by or under us, the aforesayd Indians our Heyers executoers, Administrators or Assignes, And further we do fully & Legally engage our selues Heyers & successers jointly & seuerally to satisfy all damages, Cost or charge that Dedham or any the inhabitant therin shall at any time hereafter suffer by any Legall Clayme of Right that any indian, or Indians whatsoeuer, shall make to all, or any part of the afresayd Tract of Land & wee doe here with, & hereby Render & give seizure & Lawfull posession of all the [abondede?] mised premises and we further engage & promise to do any further Act, or Acts, thing or things, that doe, or may tend to the full confirmation & legall asureance of all the aboue demised [?] miles In witness to, & for full confirmation of all the aboue demised [?] miles so many of us the persons aboue named for our selues & any absent that are Legally Concerned set to our hands & of x our seales in ye year on Thousand six hundred eighty April: 14

Know that we William Nahaton (a.k.a Quaanan) and his brothers Peter Natoogus, and Benjamin Nahaton, and their sisters Tah kee suisk Nahuton, and Hanna Nahaton (a.k.a Iam now wosh) living in Punkapoag near Blue Hills within the town of Dorchester, in Suffolk County in Massachusetts Bay Colony have pay in hand and were paid by the town of Dedham in Suffolk County. We acknowledge that we are satisfied and content. With this land deed we have fully and absolutely alienated, granted, assigned, enforced, bargained, sold, and confirmed to the town of Dedham, their successors, and their assigns all our right and title to land within the borders of Dedham, and especially our title to a parcel (or tract) of land. This parcel is near the northern borders of Dedham by the Great Falls. It borders the Charles River to the east until Natick sawmill brook. It borders the brook to the west from the herd yard to the southern foot of Maugus hill. The parcel extends straight to Rosemary Meadow Brook. The Charles River borders the rest of the parcel.

We, the above-named Indians, do hereby announce and declare ourselves to be the only true and legal owners of the tract of land by way of Indian Title from our mother. The land was Quanaan’s, our mother’s father. We further warrant and assure all the said tract of land and everything it contains, and all the rights pertaining to the parcel of land to the town of Dedham, their heirs, successors, and assigns. We assure firm inheritance, and peaceable possession forever. We agree to be acquitted and discharged from all debts and all other legal matters between the said Indians, our heirs, executors, administrators or assigns and the town of Dedham. We fully and legally engage ourselves, our heirs, successors, and assigns, to fully satisfy any legal claim by any other Indian or Indians to any part of the said tract of land after today. We give up lawful possession of the said premises. We promise to complete any further acts or things to assure the full confirmation and legal assurance of the above demised miles.

In witness to, and in full confirmation of all the above demised miles, the persons above named leave our seals for ourselves, and for any absent that are legally concerned on April 14, 1680.

1. Why do you think the Indigenous signatories agreed to this deed? What did they gain and/or lose from signing the deed?
2. What did the town of Dedham gain and/or lose from this deed?
3. What evidence did the Indigenous signatories use to prove that they held title to the parcel of land they sold?
4. Indigenous signatories of land deeds often could not read, write, or speak English. How to you think the language barrier influenced the writing and signing of this land deed?
5. Many Anglo-American New Englanders in the 19^th century widely condemned the Indian Removal Act of 1830. They sometimes used their misunderstandings of seventeenth-century history to argue that their ancestors never did anything similar to the Indigenous Peoples in New England. They also argued that they and their ancestors were superior to those who approved of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Using this document and your understanding of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, how would you discuss this misconception with a 19th-century resident of Dedham?