Uncas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uncas (c. 1588 - 1682) was a Native American who was a member of the Pequots by birth, but in 1634 he rebelled against its chief, Sassacus. He was expelled from the tribe and gathered together a number of other alienated Pequots and formed the Mohegan tribe with himself as chief. He is also known as “Le Cerf Agile” or the bounding elk.
In 1637 he helped the English under Colonel John Mason in a war against the Pequots and received part of their land as a reward.
Native tribes made war on Uncas several times, but with the help of the English he always defeated them. In 1643 he tricked and took prisoner Miantonomo, the chief sachem of the Narragansetts. Uncas put to death several of Miantonomo's fellow warrior prisoners in front of him trying to solicit a confession from Miantonomo. He then bought Miantonomo to the English for a "trial", he was of course found guilty, by five clergymen brought in to pass false judgement and to isolate the Colonial Commission members from retribution. Uncas was allowed to put Miantonomo to death provided that it be done away from Colony land. Uncas' brother Wawequa later killed him at the signal from Uncas with a tomahawk.
James Fenimore Cooper's book The Last of the Mohicans had Chingachgook's son named after Uncas. Actor Eric Schweig played the role in the 1992 film of the same name.
A two masted wooden schooner, Diosa del Mar (which sank off the coast of Catalina Island in 1990), was originally christened Uncas by the owning Vanderbilt family.
