ABSTRACT
Political struggles, both intercolonial and intertribal, were part of the dynamics of 17th-century Native New England. This can be inferred indirectly from the actions taken by the European colonists and from the archaeological evidence as illustrated in the example discussed in this chapter. As an act of negotiation with the ancestors, and with the living, the ritual consumption of wampum in 17thcentury Narragansett burials is interpreted as a reaffirmation of tribal authority and the rule of the sachems. Viewed in this way, the ritual use of wampum challenged the role of colonial authority in Native New England. By ignoring that these struggles for power and other political actions were part of 17th-century life, we deny that native societies have political histories. In so doing, we fail to recognize that Indian people today have a legitimate claim to the past.
