Epilogue, The Rock Summary and Analysis

In 1919, a rock on the shore of Mount Hope Bay in Bristol, Rhode Island was discovered with Cherokee writing on it which, when read as transcribed spoken Algonquian in the Wampanoag dialect, reads in English: "Metacomet, Great Sachem". It was etched after the creation of Cherokee syllabary in 1821 but before 1835 when the rock was first noticed. However, the inscription has since faded and can no longer be examined. It has remained unclear who wrote it, though it may have been one of a group of Penobscot Indians from Maine who visited New England to work out land claims and made a pilgrimage to Mount Hope, where Philip had lived. The inscription may have resulted from seeing Metamora. Mashpee Wampanoags may have inscribed it as well. There were other options as well. Whatever it was, however, it seems...