Sachem

Sachems /ˈseɪtʃəmz/ and sagamores /ˈsæɡəmɔːrz/ are paramount chiefs among the Algonquians or other Native American tribes of northeastern North America, including the Iroquois.

Some sources indicate the sagamore was a lesser chief elected by a single band, while the sachem was the head or representative elected by a tribe or group of bands;[1][2][3][4] others suggest the two terms were interchangeable.

[7] One modern source explains: According to Captain John Smith, who explored New England in 1614, the Massachusett tribes called their kings "sachems" while the Penobscots (of present-day Maine) used the term "sagamos" (anglicized as "sagamore").

Conversely, Deputy Governor Thomas Dudley of Roxbury wrote in 1631 that the kings in the Massachusetts Bay bay area were called sagamores, but were called sachems southward (in Plymouth).

[23] Another sachem, Mahomet Weyonomon of the Mohegan tribe, travelled to London in 1735, to petition King George II for fairer treatment of his people.