Massachusett
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Enrolled members:) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States: Massachusetts
|
|
| Languages | |
| English, formerly Massachusett language | |
| Religion | |
| Niantagot | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Narragansett and Patuxet |
The Massachusett are a Native American people who historically lived in areas surrounding Massachusetts Bay, as well as northeast and southern Massachusetts in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, including present-day Greater Boston. Tribal members spoke the Massachusett language, which is part of the Algonquian language family. The present-day U.S state of Massachusetts is named after the tribe.
The name Massachusett means “people of the great hills”, referring to the Blue Hills south of Boston Harbor.
As one of the first groups of indigenous American peoples to encounter English colonists, the Massachusett experienced a rapid decline in population in the 17th and 18th centuries due to new infectious diseases. Descendants of the Massachusett continue to inhabit the Greater Boston area, but they are not a federally recognized tribe.
The Massachusett people are most likely descendants of prehistoric Paleo-Indians who lived in eastern North America at the end of the last glaciation 30,000-15,000 years before present (BP). Archeological evidence (spear points, midden mounds) uncovered in Boston indicate habitation in that area between 6,500 and 8,000 years BP. Fishing structures, such as the Boylston Street Fishweir, dating to 5,200 years BP, have been discovered since the late 20th century in what is now Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. A recreation of a fish weir is erected annually on Boston Common in May. These early people lived by seasonal migrations, alternating between inland hunting grounds and winter homes in the fall and winter, to mining their quarries for materials used for weapon and tool making, whaling, coastal fishing and foraging sites in the late spring and summer.
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