<P> From 1615 to 1619, the Wampanoag suffered an epidemic, long suspected to be smallpox . Early twenty - first century research has suggested that it was leptospirosis, a bacterial infection also known as Weil's syndrome or 7 - day fever . It caused a high fatality rate and nearly destroyed the society . Researchers say that the losses from the epidemic were so large that English colonists were more easily able to found their settlements in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in later years . More than 50 years later, the King Philip's War (1675--1676) of Indian allies against the English colonists resulted in the deaths of 40 percent of the surviving tribe . Most of the male Wampanoag were sold into slavery in Bermuda or the West Indies . Many women and children were enslaved by colonists in New England . </P> <P> While the tribe largely disappeared from historical records from the late 18th century, its people and descendants persisted . Survivors continued to live in their traditional areas and maintained many aspects of their culture, while absorbing other peoples by marriage, and adapting to changing economic and cultural needs in the larger society . Although the last native speakers of their Massachusett language, Wôpanâak, died more than 100 years ago, since 1993 Wampanoag people have been working on a language revival project and have produced new native speakers . The project is also working on curriculum and teacher development . </P> <P> Wampanoag means "Easterners" or literally "People of the Dawn ." The word Wapanoos was first documented on Adriaen Block's 1614 map, which was the earliest - known European representation of Wampanoag territory . Other interpretations include "Wapenock," "Massasoit" and exonym "Philip's Indians ." </P> <P> In 1616, John Smith erroneously referred to the entire Wampanoag confederacy as the Pakanoket, one of the tribes . Pokanoket was used in the earliest colonial records and reports . The Pokanoket tribal seat was located near present - day Bristol, Rhode Island . </P>

What does the name of the tribe wampanoag mean