A sachem was a chief or leader in some Native American tribes, particularly among the Algonquian peoples of the northeastern United States. The word comes from the Narragansett language, spoken by tribes in what is now Rhode Island and nearby areas.

A sachem held an important position of authority and respect. Unlike military war chiefs who led in battle, sachems were political leaders who made decisions about land, trade, treaties, and relationships with other tribes. They often inherited their position through family lines, though they had to earn the continued respect of their people through wise leadership.

Among the Wampanoag, Narragansett, and other Algonquian tribes, sachems governed through councils and consultation rather than absolute power. When English colonists arrived in the 1600s, they often negotiated with sachems like Massasoit of the Wampanoag, who played a crucial role in the early survival of the Plymouth Colony.

The term later appeared in other contexts. Tammany Hall, a famous political organization in New York City during the 1800s and 1900s, called its leader “the Grand Sachem,” borrowing the term to suggest authority and leadership, though in a very different context from its original meaning.