King (Metacomet) Philip, Sachem of the Wampanoags, standing at treaty table with white men, 1676. Metacomet (1639-1676) was a war chief or sachem of the Wampanoag Indians and their leader in King Philip's War, a widespread Native American uprising against English colonists in New England. At first he sought to live in harmony with the colonists, but as the colonies continued to expand, Metacomet used tribal alliances in an effort to push the Europeans out of New England. As the war dragged on, his forces were worn down, and he was finally killed in 1676.