Mary Iyannough Hyanno

Dear Friends:

I have been asked to post what I believe to be the line of the Sachim Iyannough based on what I have been taught by oral tradition and family genealogies. This information may not be entirely correct but should be viewed as oral history and open to your judgments. I do not propose to be the best authority, but please bare with me as I explain what I believe to be true.

The Wampanoag people were a confederation of southern New England tribal groups, separate from each other, but with a common language and cultural base. At the time of the first English in the early 1600's there were over 60 different tribal groups within the confederation. Mary Hyanno was Mattachee also sometimes called Cummaquids, Chawmun or Shaumes.

The word Mattachee translates to "place of worn planting fields." The area around Barnstable was called Mattachee/Mattachiest, with the Yarmouth area known as Mattakeeset. The Mattachee were under authority of a local leader (Iyannough) but also pledged themselves to Ousamequin, the Massasoyt at Pokenoket who was in power over much of the area. The Mattachee were closely related to the Nauset people who were located further up the Cape and who often did not join in the Wampanoag confederation.

My oral tradition:

   1. Highyannough: Old Cape Sachim, father of Iyannough, said to have married daughter of Canonicus, Narragansett Sachim.

   2. Iyannough: Young Sagamore at Cummaquid, father of John Hyanno and Mary Hyanno. Said to have married Mary, aka Mary Nopee who was daughter of Martha's Vineyard Sachim. He was accused of being a conspirator with Massachusett people to overthrow the English. He went into hiding in swamps on the Cape and died of sickness the year of his daughters birth, along with the Sagamores Coneconam of Manamet and Aspinet of Nauset.

   3. John Hyanno: Brother of Mary Hyanno and Sachim at Cummaquid and also on Martha's Vineyard, (mother's connection).

   4. Mary Hyanno, daughter of Iyannough, granddaughter of Highyannough, brother of John Hyanno.

My belief is:

   Highyannough 1554 to 1641 died at 87 yrs.

   Iyannough 1595 to 1623 died at 28 yrs.

   John Hyanno 1620 to 1680 died at 60 yrs.

Highyannough, Iyannough, and John Hyanno are sometimes confused and combined with each other. Iyannough died in the swamps at a very young age of 28 or so, the same year of his daughters birth. Mary was raised by her grandfather and later her brother until taken in marriage by Austin Bearce in 1639 at about 15 or 16 years of age.

In the early days of the English 1621 to his death in 1623 Iyannough would have not been given the Christian name of John as some say, as there was no missionary contact on the Cape in those early times. His son and daughter were most likely given Christian names of John and Mary after his death when the English became more established on the Cape.

The grandfather who died in his late 80's is the most likely source of the land given to Austin. The grandson, John Hyanno with other variations of his name, became the leader in the area and also is shown on deeds of land on the Cape as well as on Martha's Vineyard where he died in 1680. Historical birth and death dates do not indicate that the three men could have been one in the same.

Thank you for your kindness,

"Nunocksuk Matannash" (There are many stars) iootash [:ITAL] --courtesy of Alice Raven