Ahimunquat Deed
One of the five deeds surviving between English and Native people, this deed is written in language commonly found in British legal documents. Boundaries and place names in the document, however, all have Native names. The deed was drawn up by John Pynchon of Springfield, Massachusetts. It assigns land belonging to Ahimunquat, alias Mequinnitchall of Pacomtuck (1665-1703), to members of the Dedham, Massachusetts, community. The payment to the Natives was 20 "fadam" (fathoms or lengths of wampum). The deal was consummated on July 22, 1667, several years before the first English settlers began to come to Deerfield, Massachusetts, originally known as Pocumtuck.
Date: July 22, 1667
Topic: Historic
Materials: manuscript, paper, ink
Dimensions: H: 7.75 in. (19.6 cm) , W: 12 in. (30.4 cm)
Accession #: L98.013