Treaty of Casco (1678)

Treaty of Casco (1725) brought to a close the war between the eastern Indians and the English settlers of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Moreover, it sought to re-establish the friendly relations between the Indians and settlers that had characterized the northern settlements previous to the outbreak of King Philip's War in 1675. Based on the terms of the accord, all captives were to be surrendered without ransom. The treaty also stipulated that the English should give the Indians one peck of corn annually for each family settled on Indian lands, with the exception of Maj. Phillips of Saco, a great proprietor, who was required to give a bushel each Native American family.

The MA Bay Colony (official name of government changed several times) at the time of the death of King Philip and his appointed leaders of the Pokanoket Tribe/Pokanoket Federation, did issue a government decree that any person 14 years of age or over who stated they were Pokanoket were subject to being executed. The Pokanokets were scattered to the four winds, many executed, endentured and the survivors had to secretly exist and could only use the name of Wampanoag which included dozens of tribes is general terms. Some original Pokanokets fled North to continue their fight against the colonists. Their surviving Royal Line exists today in a fully functioning tribe (see www.pokanoket.us). The point of this information is that the Treaty of Casco was an action to end the hostilities of the King Philip War which continued after his death by other tribes of the Pokanoket Federation and non-affiliated tribes.

Because the Royal House/line of the Pokanokets who remained and secretly assumed the leadership position of the Pokanoket Tribe should have been a signatory on the Treaty of Casco in 1678 but their presence to be a signatory wasn't possible due to the decree of the British Colonists that if they idenitfied themselves as being Pokanoket they would be executed. Many attended Church services for a place to meet secretly in plain sight as Wampanoags as this was one of the few legal opportunities they could meet under the guise of Christian conversion in the furtherance of their culture and Royal Line which prove successful. Go to www.pokanoket.us to visit the modern day tribe and headship of the Royal House of the Seven Cresents of the Pokanoket/Wampanoag Nation and tribe.

Under the above circumstances, due to suppression, intimidation and the Colonial Bay governments intent to annihilate the Pokanoket's, the Treaty of Casco was in fact a document which included the Pokanoket Tribe in absentia due to suppression and threat of execution. Their rightful signatory was thus illegally prohibited from physical presence but yet by law and inherent right does include the Pokanoket Tribe/Pokanoket Federation in absentia as if present and a signatory. This is recognized in present times under "operation of law" as established by landmark court rulings in similar like cases.

See also

• List of treaties
• Treaty of Casco (1703)

Source

• James Truslow Adams. Dictionary of American History. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1940.