Mohegan Rev. Samson Occom 1723-1792

[Wachinika]

I came across Samson Occom/Occum while doing a journal search for Tutelo. A google search also yields many results.
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Six Hymns by Samson Occom. by: JOANNA BROOKS Early American Literature 38 no1 67-87 2003 © UNC Press, University of North Carolina

Excerpt 1:” Samson Occom (1723-1792) was a Mohegan tribal leader, an ordained Presbyterian minister, a major fund-raiser for what is now Dartmouth College, the leader of an intertribal revitalization and resettlement movement, and the first published Native American author. His Sermon at the Execution of Moses Paul (1772), the first English-language text written and published by a Native American author, appeared in more than a dozen editions and reprintings--including a Welsh-language translation--before 1820. This sermon and a short autobiographical narrative drafted by Occom in 1768 have been inducted into American literature anthologies and reintroduced to contemporary scholars of early American and Native American literatures. Yet it is not widely known that Occom also wrote and published in poetic forms and that he maintained a lifelong interest in hymnody. In 1774, he compiled, edited, and published the groundbreaking and widely popular A Choice Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs; Intended for the Edification of Sincere Christians, of All Denominations; he also wrote at least six hymn-texts published in his Collection and elsewhere. On the merits of the Collection, leading musicologist Robert Stevenson has declared Occom "the first Native American published composer" ("First Composer"). More than that, Occom was a leader in the movement to develop an indigenous American hymn tradition. Occom's original hymn-texts also distinguish him as the first Native American to publish poetry in English, and they establish the historical beginnings of Native English-language poetry in the eighteenth century.”

Except 2: “The Collection's broad appeal and consequent commercial success subsidized Occom's plan to supply affordable, mass-produced hymnals to Christian Indian communities. In fact, it appears that Occom designed the Collection with special consideration for one particular Christian Indian community: the intertribal settlement planned for Brotherton, New York. From early 1773 onward, Occom served as a principal architect for this new settlement, which attracted members of seven southern New England and Long Island tribes--the Mohegan, Pequot, Narragansett, Montauk, Niantic, Farmington, and Stockbridge--to resettle on traditional Oneida lands in upstate New York. Occom's negotiation of the Brotherton pacts coincided with his preparation of the hymnal: in January 1774, the Oneidas formally welcomed the New England tribes into the Iroquois Confederacy with the Cayugas, Nanticokes, Tuscaroras, Tutelos, Mohawks, Onondagas, and Senecas; the Collection was published in April 1774. We can be sure that the first Brotherton emigrants who arrived at their new home in 1775 carried copies of Occom's hymnal with them. When the full settlement of Brotherton commenced after the American War of Independence, in 1785, the Collection served as a base-text for a new, common Christian Indian culture.”
The lyrics without music are included in the article.
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Wikipedia on Samson Occom: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_Occom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_Occom)
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Wikipedia on Brothertown Indians: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothertown_Indians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothertown_Indians)
“The tribe was formed by Samson Occom (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samson_Occom), who was the one of the most famous Christian Indians in New England. They became a tribe in 1769 when seven Christian and English-speaking communities organized and moved to land in upstate New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York). In the 1770s, they settled there while under intense pressure to again move west. By the early 1800s, the State of New York (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York) had purchased most of the land that the Brothertown tribe owned.”


“The Brothertown Indians (also Brotherton) are Native American descendants of the Pequot (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pequot) and Mohegan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohegan) (Algonquian-speaking (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algonquian_language)) tribes in southern New England (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England). The Brothertown Indians were the first tribe of Native Americans (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States) in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States) to become United States citizens, which caused the tribe to relinquish their tribal sovereignty (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribal_sovereignty).

“In the first half of the 1800's many Brothertown Indians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothertown_Indians) people moved to what is now known as the Brothertown township in Calumet County (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calumet_County), Wisconsin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisconsin). The Brothertown Indians (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothertown_Indians) are currently petitioning the federal government to be federally recognized (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States)”

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Brothertown Indian Nation webpage: http://www.brothertownindians.org/ (http://www.brothertownindians.org/)

[Wachinika]

Samson Occom and The Christian Indians of New England By W. DeLoss Love, Ph.D

Boston – Chicago The Pilgrim Press 1898

Appendix


The Families who received lots at Brothertown, New York

Abner, -- Pequot Tribe, Stonington, Conn.

Adams, Adam.—Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn. A Quinnipiac Indian

Anthony.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Brushel, Brushil, Brushill, Brusheill.—Mohegan tribe, Mohegan, Conn.

Ceipet, Cebit, Seepet, Seabpeet.—unknown tribal affiliation.

Charles. –Families of this name at Montauk, L.I., Farmington, Conn., and Charlestown, R.I.

Cocheatt, Cocheaks, Quocheets.—Pequot tribe, Groton, Conn.

Cochegan, Cochegion.—Mohegan tribe, Mohegan, Conn.

Commuck, Cummuck, Commach.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Coyhis, Coys, Cohoize, Coghooisze.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Crosley. –Pequot tribe, Stonington, Conn.

Cujep, Chuchip. –Pequot tribe, Groton, Conn.

Curricomb, Corcom, Curracomp, Correcompt, Accorrecompt.—Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn.

Cusk, Askusk, Ackust.—Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn.

Davies. –Tribe unknown.

Deshon.—Pequot tribe, Mushantuxet, Conn.

Dick. – Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Fowler. – Montauk tribe, Montauk, L.I.

Hammar, Hammer.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Harry. – Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Hart. – Pequot tribe, Stonington, Conn.

Hutton. – Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Isaacs. – Tribe unknown.

Johnson. – Mohegan tribe, Mohegan, Conn.

Kindness, Kiness.—Pequot tribe, Stonington, Conn.

Matthews, Marthers.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Mossuck, Mosuck, Maussuck, Maussauk. – Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn.

Niles, Nyles.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Occom. –Mohegan tribe, Mohegan, Conn.

Occuish, Cuish, Kuish, Kewish. –Niantic tribe, Niantic, Conn.

Palmer.—Tribe unknown.

Patchauker, Peshauker, Pechorker, Pauheter.—From Martha’s Vineyard.

Paul. –Families of this name lived at Charlestown, R.I., Mohegan, Conn., and Montauk, L.I. The only one which emigrated to New York was of Narragansett tribe

Peters, Peter.—Montauk tribe, Montauk, L.I.

Pharaoh. – Montauk tribe , Montauk, L.I.

Poquiantup, Pouquenup, Pauhqunnup, Uppuiquiyantup.—Pequot tribe, Groton, Conn. Or Niantic tribe,Niantic,Conn.

Potter.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Robbins, Robbens, Robin. – Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn.

Roberts.—Tribe unknown.

Sampson.—Pequot tribe, Groton, Conn.

Scippio.—Montauk tribe, Montauk, L.I.

Seketer, Sicketor, Secutor, Sequettass. – Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Shelley.—Pequot tribe, Stonington, Conn.

Simons, Simon.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Skeesuck, Shesuck, Schesuck, Skeezuc, Skieezup.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Tocus.—Tribe unknown.

Toucee, Towsey, Towcee, Towsee.—Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn.

Toxcoit, Toxcoiet. –Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Tuhie, Tuhuy, Tuhi, Tuhigh, Tohoy. –Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Wampy, Wimpey, Weampy, Weampee. –Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn.

Wauby, Wobby, Wappy, Wobi, Woyboy.—Narragansett tribe, Charlestown, R.I.

Waucus, Waukas, Wowous, Wowowous, Wawawis. –Tunxis tribe, Farmington, Conn.

Waukeet, Waukeets, Waukete, Walkeat.—Niantic tribe, Niantic, Conn.

Wiggins.—Tribe unknown.

Wiott, Wyatt, Wiutt, Wiat. – Tribe unknown.

[PappyDick]

Funny thing, I was just writing something about ol' Samson Occum (or Occom, different sources disagree) a couple of months ago. In what passes for real life I'm a (retired) folklorist, and about 30 years ago wrote my dissertation on camp-meeting hymnody. Occum's hymns are about 25 years earlier than the camp-meeting movement, but are found in many collections (mainly Baptist ones, he didn't really catch on with the Presbyterians) that were popular in those circles. My interest in him has had little or nothing to do with the fact that he was Indian, but it's kind of interesting to run into him here in Saponitown.

By the way, a hymn book in 1774 was a book of words -- they weren't printed with tunes much before 1818. The tune books that were used for singing schools almost always had hymn texts associated, but they are not hymn books (and weren't used in worship settings).

[techteach]

I have one of those surnames : Potter. He fought for the VA line in the Rev War, married a Horner from Queen Anne, MD. Ended up in eastern IA. Linda has a relative who married a Potter in WI.

Techteach