Praying Towns

Praying towns were developed by the Puritans of New England from 1646 to 1675 in an effort to convert the local Native American tribes to Christianity. The Natives who moved into these towns were known as Praying Indians. Before 1674 the villages were the most ambitious Christianization experiment in English colonial America.John Eliot first preached to the Natives in their own tongue in 1646 at Nonantum, meaning “Place of Rejoicing,” which is now present day Newton, MA. This sermon led to a friendship with Waban, who became the first Native American in Massachusetts to convert to Christianity.

The idea behind the praying towns was that Natives would convert to Christianity and give up their old way of life. This included their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, their clothing, rituals, and anything else that was seen as savagery. By 1660, Eliot had established seven praying towns. The Massachusetts General Court recognized the work of Eliot and helped add to the numbers of towns.

Between 1651 and 1675, the court created fourteen praying towns but only Natick and Punkapog had full status with independent congregations.

Some prominent praying towns in the Massachusett area were Gay Head, Christiantown (Okokammeh), Nantucket, Natick, Mashpee, Hassanamisco (Grafton), Herring Pond (Plymouth) and Nukkehkummees (Dartmouth). Three towns were created in Connecticut as well: Maanexit (Nipmuc word meaning “where we gather”) is believed to be in present day Fabyan, Quinnatisset (meaning “little long river”) was located six miles south of Maanexit, and Wabaquasset (meaning “mats for covering the house”) is present day Woodstock, CT . These three towns held between 100 and 150 Nipmuc tribal members.

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Wikipedia