Information AboutPequot |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT PEQUOT | |
| algonquian peoples | |
| native american tribes in connecticut | |
| indigenous languages of the north american eastern woodlands | |
| languages of the united states | |
The Pequot are a tribal nation of Native American s who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut . They spoke an Algonquian language closely related to Mohegan . The Pequot War saw the elimination of the Pequot as a viable socio-political entity in present-day southern New England . Today, there are two Pequot settlements in Connecticut -- the Mashantucket Pequot and the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation (a.k.a. Paucatuck Pequot ). HISTORY The Question of Origins The Pequot and the Mohegan were at one time a single socio-political entity. Anthropologists and historians contend that sometime before contact with the English, the Pequot were split into the two warring groups.See Carrol Alton Means, "Mohegan-Pequot Relationships, as Indicated by the Events Leading to the Pequot Massacre of 1637 and Subsequent Claims in the Mohegan Land Controversy," ''Archaeological Society of Connecticut Bulletin'' 21 (2947): 26-33. Debate still exists as to whether the Pequot migrated toward central and eastern Connecticut sometime around 1500, from the upper Hudson River Valley. The theory of Pequot migration to the Connecticut River Valley rather than originating in the region can be traced to Rev. William Hubbard who, in 1677, claimed that the Pequot had invaded the region sometime before the establishment of Plymouth Colony . In the aftermath of King Philip's War , Hubbard had sought in his ''Narrative of the Troubles with the Indians in New-England'', to explain the unmitigated ferocity with which New England 's Native peoples responded to the English. Seeking answers not in Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay Colony's own failed diplomacy and the colonial rapacity for Native lands, Puritan divines such as Hubbard may have projected their own situation and behavior onto the Pequot by defining the Pequot as "foreigners" to the region-- invaders not from another shore, but "from the interior of the continent" who "by force seized upon one of the googliest places near the sea, and became a Terror to all their Neighbors." William Hubbard, ''The History of the Indian Wars in New England'' 2 vols. (Boston: Samuel G. Drake, 1845), vol. 2, pp. 6-7. On the other hand, much of the archaeological, linguistic, and documentary evidence now available clearly reveals that the Pequot were not invaders to the and Massachusetts Bay colonies, the Pequot had already assumed a position of poltical, military, and economic dominance in what is now central and eastern Connecticut . Occuping the coastal area between the Niantic River of present-day Connecticut and the Wecapaug River in what is now western Rhode Island , the Pequot numbered some 16,000 persons in the most densely inhabited portion of southern New England .Dean R. Snow and Kim M. Lamphear, "European Contact and Indian Depopulation in the Northeast: The Timing of the First Epidemics," ''Ethnohistory'' 35 (1988): 16-38. The Smallpox epidemic of 1616-19, which killed roughly 90% of the Native inhabitants of the eastern coast of present-day New England , failed to reach the Pequot, or the Niantic and Narragansett . But a subsequent epidemic in 1633 devastated the entirety of the region's Native population. Historians estimate that the Pequot suffered the loss of 80% of their entire population. At the outbreak of the Pequot War then, the Pequot may have numbered only about 3,000.Refer to Shelburne F. Cook, "The Significance of Disease in the Extinction of the New England Indians," ''Human Biology'' 45 (1973): 485-508; and Arthur E. Speiro and Bruce D. Spiess, "New England Pandemic of 1616-1622: Cause and Archaeological Implication," ''Man in the Northeast'' 35 (1987): 71-83. The Pequot War ''Main article:'' Pequot War In 1637, long-standing tensions between the in particular treated their Pequot hostages so severely that colonial officials of Connecticut Colony eventually removed them. Two reservations were established by 1683 . While both of their land bases were exceedingly reduced by what eventually became the state of Connecticut , they continue to exist to the present. Modern History By the 1910 census, the Pequot population was enumerated at a low of 66."Thirteenth Census of the United States taken in the year 1910" ''United States Bureau of the Census'', (Washington, D.C. : Government Printing Office, 1912-1914). In terms of population, the Pequot reached their nadir several decades later. Pequot numbers grew appreciably-- the Mashantucket Pequot especially-- during the 1970s and 1980s when Mashantucket Pequot Chairman, Skip Hayward was able to enjoin Pequots to return to their tribal homeland by implementing the push to Federal recognition and sound economic development.See Laurence M. Hauptman and James Wherry, eds. ''The Pequots in Southern New England: The Fall and Rise of an Indian Nation'' (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1990); Wayne J. Stein, "Gaming: The Apex of a Long Struggle," ''Wicazo Sa Review'', vol. 13, No. 1. (Spring, 1998), pp. 73-91; and Jace Weaver's review of Jeff Benedict's vitriolic polemic, "Without Reservation," ''Wicazo Sa Review'', vol. 17, no. 2 (Autumn, 2002), pp. 210-213. In 1976, with the assistance of the Native American Rights Fund and the Indian Rights Association, the Pequot filed suit against neighboring landowners to recover land that had been illegally sold by the State of federal recognition, enabling them to repurchase and place in trust the land covered in the Settlement Act.''Mashantucket Pequot Indian Claims Settlement Act'' (1983), S. 366. Currently, 1,250 acres comprise the Mashantucket Pequot Nation land base. As the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation settled its land claims, it also engaged in several entrepreneurial enterprises in order to become economically viable. These including the sale of fire wood, harvesting maple syrup, and the growing of garden vegetables. The Mashantucket Pequot also tried their hand at a swine project and the opening of a hydroponic greenhouse. The Mashantucket Pequot also purchased and operated a restaurant, and established a sand and gravel business. In 1986, they opened a bingo operation, followed, in 1992, by the establishment of the first phase of Foxwoods Resort Casino . Revenues from Foxwoods provided sufficient revenue to the Mashantucket Pequot to create a cultural museum. The ceremonial groundbreaking for the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center took place on Oct. 20, 1993. This date marked the 10th anniversary of federal recognition of the Mashantucket Pequot Nation. The new facility, opened on August 11, 1998, is located on the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, where many members of the Mashantucket Pequot Nation continue to live. It is one of the oldest, continuously occupied Indian reservations in North America . GEOGRAPHY The 1130 member Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation has a reservation called "Lantern Hill." The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation is recognized by the state of Connecticut and the United States Federal government. The 350 Mashantucket Pequot or Western Pequot gained federal recognition in 1983 and have a reservation in Ledyard . Nearly all individuals who are identified as Pequot live in the two above-named communities. CULTURE ''To be written along the lines of '' Language Historically, the group spoke Pequot, a dialect of the Monegan-Pequot Algonquin language. After the Treaty Of Hartford concluded the Pequot War , speaking the language became a capital offense, and it became extinct. Tribe members currently speak English . There are currently efforts to revive the dead language, by careful analysis of historical documents containing Pequot words and comparison with extant closely related languages. So far over 1,000 words have been reclaimed, though that is a small fraction of what would be necessary for a functional language. The who, several years ago initiated the ''Wôpanâak Language Reclamation Project'' . INSTITUTIONS ''To be written along the lines of , should discuss governmental and other institutions of the two surviving reservations, plus anything known about historical institutions.'' NOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY Primary Sources
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