The elderly Pennacook Chief Passaconaway, leader of an alliance that stretched through much of southern New Hampshire, relinquished his role as sachem in 1660, bringing to an end decades of his rule.
Passaconaway was a remarkable figure, known throughout New England for his reputed mystical powers that included the ability to manipulate water, rocks and trees, bring the dead back to life, and make himself invisible. He was said to be able to summon thunderstorms at will.
Known for his strength, wisdom and insight, Passaconaway was reportedly as big as a bear and more than 100 years old when he stepped down.
Chief sachem when Europeans arrived in New Hampshire in the early 1600s, Passaconaway advised his people to accept them peacefully, claiming that in a dream the Great Spirit told him that he must live in peace with the English.
During his lifetime, relations between the colonists and the Abenaki were relatively conflict-free, although this fragile peace disintegrated quickly without his guidance.
N.H. Historical Society