sachem

noun

sa·​chem ˈsā-chəm  ˈsa- 

1

: a North American Indian chief

especially : the chief of a confederation of the Algonquian tribes of the North Atlantic coast

2

: a Tammany leader

sachemic

sā-ˈche-mik 

sa-

adjective

Examples of sachem in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Few people bother to visit the statue of Ousamequin — the chief, or sachem, of the Wampanoag Nation whose people once numbered somewhere between 30,000 to 100,000 and whose land once stretched from Southeastern Massachusetts to parts of Rhode Island. —Dana Hedgpeth, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Nov. 2021

For instance, most history lessons of the early days in Massachusetts Bay Colony end with the diplomatic alliance of Massasoit, a sachem, or leader, of the Wampanoags, offering food to the starving Pilgrims in exchange for protection against the powerful Narragansett Tribe in 1621. —Kendra Nordin Beato, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov. 2020

Or Opeka, a Shawnee sachem who shrewdly negotiated with the governor of Pennsylvania in 1710 to spare the lives of his people accused of killing colonists? —Jennifer Schuessler, New York Times, 20 Sep. 2022

Larry Fisher, chief sachem of the Mattakeeset Massachuset tribe leads a traditional song honoring the tribal land and ancestry at Titicut Indian Reservation in Bridgewater, Mass, Nov. 27, 2020. —WSJ, 17 June 2022

This relationship was based on a treaty of mutual protection, signed on March 22, 1621, by Gov. John Carver and the sachem Ousamequin, better known as Massasoit. —WSJ, 29 Nov. 2021

Some scholars counter that Mason’s statue should remain — with the addition of statues of Indigenous leaders, such as the Mohegan sachem Uncas and the Pequot Sachem Sassacus. —Rick Green, courant.com, 17 Nov. 2021

The Pokanoket tribe and their sachem Massasoit shared in three days of feasting and entertainment with English colonists in the autumn of 1621, helping to inspire the holiday of gathering and giving thanks, according to the museum. —From Usa Today Network and Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 15 July 2021

Staten Island’s last unbought parcel was sold, in 1670, by a Raritan sachem named Pierwim. —Joshua Jelly-Schapiro, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Narragansett sâchim

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

sachem

noun

sa·​chem ˈsā-chəm 

: the chief of a North American Indigenous tribe

especially : the chief of a confederation of the Algonquin tribes of the North Atlantic coast