Editing Nantucket (section)

===The Wampanoags===
When the English settlers arrived on Nantucket in 1659, the island was populated by Wampanoag [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], one of the  [[Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands]], who had been living there for thousands of years. As many as three thousand people lived on the island in groups governed by [[sachem]]s.<ref name=Other>{{cite book|first=Frances Ruley|last=Karttunen|title=The Other Islanders: People who pulled Nantucket's oars|date=2005 |publisher=Spinner Publications, Inc|location=New Bedford, Massachusetts|isbn=0932027938}}</ref>{{rp|17,21}} Within two years of their arrival, the settlers had persuaded two of the sachems, Wanackmamack and Nickanoose, to relinquish their rights to the island in exchange for 66 [[Pound sterling|pounds sterling]], equal to £{{Inflation|UK|66|1659|fmt=c}} today).{{r|Other|p=26-7}}  In 1750 the deeds were upheld by a judge from the [[Massachusetts General Court|General Court of Massachusetts]] in spite of petitions from the Wampanoags claiming that the sachems had not had the authority to sell the land.{{r|Other|p=52}}  The Wampanoags converted to Christianity and took up trades that were useful to the settlers, becoming, for example, carpenters and weavers.{{r|Other|p=40}}  When the whaling industry developed on Nantucket in the 18th century, Wampanoag men went to sea and often made up half or more of the crew of the whaling ships.{{r|Other|p=44-6}} By the 18th century, a system of [[Debt bondage|debt servitude]] was set in place which provided the English settlers with steady access to a pool of Wampanoag labor.<ref>Nathaniel Philbrick, ''In the Heart of the Sea: The Incredible True Story that Inspired Moby-Dick,'' [[HarperCollins|William Collins]] 2000 p.5.</ref>

During the century that followed the arrival of the English settlers, the Wampanoag community did not thrive, and by 1763 they numbered only 358 people.  Various factors contributed to this decline, including the destruction of the ecosystem that had sustained them, the disadvantages they faced in competing in the developing money economy, losses at sea, and the detrimental effect of [[rum]] on their health.{{r|Other|p=45-6,54}} In 1763 the Wampanoag community was struck down by an epidemic of unknown origin, which killed 222 of them while leaving the English community unaffected. Some of the survivors left Nantucket and some married into the small African community on the island.{{r|Other|p=52-4}} Two children, Abram Quary and [[Dorcas Honorable|Dorcas Esop]], who were born after the epidemic and lived until 1854 and 1855, have been acknowledged as Nantucket's last Native Americans. Wampanoags from [[Martha's Vineyard]] and [[Cape Cod]] have since then lived on Nantucket.{{r|Other|p=56}}

In 2021, the ''Nantucket Annual Town Meeting'' voted to replace the [[Columbus Day]] holiday with [[Indigenous Peoples' Day (United States)|Indigenous People's Day]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nantucket-ma.gov/2308/Nantucket-Celebrates-Indigenous-Peoples-|title=Nantucket celebrates Indigenous People's Day|publisher=Town & County of Nantucket|access-date=September 5, 2023}}</ref>