The Howling Wilderness: Religious Mysteries in Colonial America | Dark God of the Swamp

This video covers the religious history of New England, beginning with the first migrations of the Clovis people, to the journey of the pilgrims to Massachusetts and through the early colonial period, leading up to the beginning of King Philip’s War. We explore the spiritual philosophies of both the Puritans as well as Native American Algonquin tribes of the region, comparing and contrasting them as it relates to their attitudes toward nature and what constitutes sacred space. The American wilderness was a complex symbol that embodied many different ideals for its inhabitants, filled with spirits which foretold destiny through the medium of signs and omens. We hear from a variety of historical sources documenting Wampanoag traditions and their devotion to a mysterious dark god called Hobbamock that haunted the local swamps and forests, which the colonists believed to be the devil himself. Indeed, they believed that America was the kingdom of Satan, and that their destiny was to build a bulwark against