Sachem

Sachem or sagamore is a term for leaders of Algonquian polities along the northeastern coast of North America. It is also now used to refer to non-Royaner leaders in the Haudenosaunee Confederacy such as the councilors of each nation. Sachem and Sagamore are anglicizations of cognate terms (c. 1622) from different Eastern Algonquian languages. Some sources indicate that historically the sagamore was a lesser chief elected by a single band, while the Sachem was the head or representative elected by a tribe or group of bands; while others suggest the two terms were interchangeable. Sachems are appointed or elected officeholders and the office is not strictly hereditary. However, the choice of Sachem is at least partly based on the prominence of the individual's family or kinship ties to th...