JUNE 13:

 June 13, 1660:  Wamsetta, a Wampanoag, and his younger brother, Metacomet (various spellings), have requested "English" names from the Plymouth court. Today, their names will be officially be changed to Alexander and Philip Pokanoket. Philip would eventually be called "King Philip".
 

BACKGROUND:
 

Excerpt from Lee Sultzman's study of the Wampanoag, at
http://www.tolatsga.org/wampa.html
 

By 1665 Native Americans in southern New England were simply in the way. The English no longer needed their wilderness skills to survive, and fishing and other commerce had largely replaced the fur and wampum trade which had been the mainstays of the colonial economy during the early years. While there was nothing to equal the devastation of 1614-20, the native population had continued to decline from continuing epidemics: 1633, 1635, 1654, 1661 and 1667. The Puritans' "humane" solution to this after 1640 was the missionary work of John Eliot and others to convert the native population. How "humane" these efforts actually were is a matter of opinion. Converts were settled in small communities of "Praying Indians" at Natick, Nonantum, Punkapog, and other locations. Natives even partially resistant to the Puritan version of Christianity were unwelcome. Attendance at church was mandatory, clothing and hair changed to proper colonial styles, and even a hint of traditional ceremony and religion was grounds for expulsion. Tribal culture and authority disintegrated in the process.

Even Massasoit fell in with the adoption of English customs and before his death in 1661, petitioned the General Court at Plymouth to give English names to his two sons. The eldest Wamsutta was renamed Alexander, and his younger brother Metacomet became Philip. Married to Queen Weetamoo of Pocasset, Alexander became grand sachem of the Wampanoag upon the death of his father. The English were not pleased with his independent attitude, and invited him to Plymouth for "talks." After eating a meal in Duxbury, Alexander became violently ill and died. The Wampanoag were told he died of a fever, but the records from the Plymouth Council at the time make note of an expense for poison "to rid ourselves of a pest." The following year Metacomet (Wewesawanit) succeeded his murdered brother as grand sachem of the Wampanoag eventually becoming known to the English as King Philip.
 

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>From http://nmnm.essortment.com/kingphilipswar_rnqa.htm
 

The early Puritans and Pilgrims that settled in Massachusetts lived peacefully with the native Indians for many years. The early settlers, fewer in number and lacking basic survival skills in the New England wilderness, looked to the natives for assistance, even to their very survival, as they learned to plant corn and survive in their environment.

But over the years, the English, or "Yangeese" as the local Indians called them, thrived as more settlers moved to the colonies and built up houses and towns, even shipping in their cattle and setting up fences for pasture lands. Gradually the Indians came to resent the colonists who crowded in on the wilderness, driving away the Indians' wild game, and brought cattle that trampled the Indians' corn crops.

Many of the Indians, through the efforts of missionary John Eliot, had converted to Christianity and even the customs of the Puritans. The many non-converted Indians resented and felt threatened by this new religion. Even more galling to the unsaved Indians, the Puritans insisted that all Indians observe their laws and customs, even telling them what they could and could not do on the Lord's Day (Sunday). As relations strained with increasing distrust of the Indians, the Puritans even demanded that the Indians return their muskets, which they had acquired peacefully over the years.

King Philip's father, Massasoit, who had befriended the first Pilgrims in 1620, was sachem of the Pokanoket tribe of the Wampanoag nation, an easy-going ruler who stayed on friendly terms with the English. He had even requested English names for his two sons, Wamsutta and Metacomet, and the English named his sons Alexander and Philip, respectively. When Massasoit died, his eldest son, Alexander, became ruler of the Pokanoket tribe. Wamsutta (Alexander) was more distant and aloof than his father had been, thus alarming the English, who demanded his presence at a hearing before them. When Wamsutta refused to come, authorities went and took him by force to appear before them for interrogation. He became ill, and died during the return trip. Then, in 1661, his brother Metacomet (Philip) took over as sachem of the Pokanoket tribe of the Wampanoag people. Philip maintained peaceful relations for several years, but became embittered towards the Yankees, whom he blamed for his brother's death.