Native American Political Strategies and the Development of Ethno-Racial Stratification in Seventeenth-Century New England

The political agency of Native American populations in early colonial New England is frequently underestimated. Both popular culture and, at times, scholarly discourse depict Native Americans as passive victims of colonial expansion, lacking the capacity to shape the transformative processes that redefined their world. This perspective, rooted in the nineteenth-century “noble savage” trope, fails to capture the complexity of Native political engagement. This article explores the diverse strategies employed by Native American leaders throughout the seventeenth century as they sought to navigate and influence colonial structures. While individual leaders pursued diplomatic relationships with colonial authorities, collective strategies – most notably conversion to Christianity – were employed to secure a place within the emerging colonial order. Key examples of successful political adaptation include Ousamequin, the first sachem to forge an alliance with the colonies; Uncas, the Mohegan leader; and Robin Cassacinamon, the Pequot intermediary who played a crucial role in Native-colonial relations. Although their approaches varied, they shared common elements that underscore the adaptability of Native American political cultures. Rather than relying solely on resistance, these strategies shaped colonial history, influencing immediate political developments and contributing to the formation of ethno-racial stratification in both colonial and later American society.