Delilah Sampson Gibbs: The Last Native Woman of Wellfleet

Delilah Sampson Gibbs: The Last Native Woman of Wellfleet

Not far from the salt marshes and shell piles of Indian Neck, Wellfleet holds a quiet, powerful story. One of a woman—healer, herbalist, and elder—whose presence marks the closing chapter of the Native Wampanoag in this harbor town.

Her name was Delilah Sampson Gibbs, and she is remembered today as “the last Indian of Wellfleet.”

A Life Rooted in the Land

Delilah lived in the early 1800s on what we now call Great Island, or Chequesset Neck. Local memory speaks of her knowledge of the land—especially the plants and herbs that grew wild across the Cape. She was a healer, a quiet force. One story passed down claims that she used her traditional herbal knowledge to cure a neighbor of breast cancer. These aren’t tall tales—they’re reminders of a culture that understood nature’s medicine long before it was written down in books.

Census records from 1820 show Delilah as one of the last Indigenous people living in Wellfleet. By the time she passed—sometime after 1838—she had become a living symbol of a vanishing people, their traditions, and their claim to this land.

Her Memorial on Great Island

There is said to be a marker honoring her on Great Island, a stretch of land you can still walk today. No grand monument. Just a memory in the sand, carried by stories and tide.

Local historians, including the Wellfleet Historical Society, have worked to piece together her life. And while details are few, the impact of her story echoes—especially here in Wellfleet, where every dune and creek holds centuries of human history.

Why We Remember

We share Delilah’s story not to mark an ending—but to recognize a life, and a people, still present in the land, water, and names around us. From Punonakanit Hill (Canon Hill) to the oysters we grow in the harbor, the legacy of the Wampanoag is woven into every corner of Wellfleet.

If you ever find yourself walking the sands of Great Island, pause and listen. The whisper of the wind might just be hers.