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The Pequots in Southern New England: The Fall and Rise of an American Indian Nation (Volume 198)
Before their massacre by Massachusetts Puritans in 1637, the Pequots were preeminent in southern New England. Their location on the eastern Connecticut shore made them important producers of the wampum required to trade for furs from the Iroquois. They were also the only Connecticut Indians to oppose the land-hungry English. For those reasons, they became the first victims of white genocide in colonial America. Despite the Pequot War of 1637, and the greed and neglect of their white neighbors and "overseers," the Pequots endured in their ancestral homeland. In 1983 they achieved federal recognition. In 1987 they commemorated the 350th anniversary of the Pequot War by organizing the Mashantucket Pequot Historical Conference, at which distinguished scholars presented the articles assembled here.
288 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 22, 2024
In the aftermath of genocide
The Pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620. Many other Europeans soon made an appearance as well. It didn’t take long for the Native Americans to realize that these invaders were out to take over. At the same time new diseases wiped out two-thirds of the population, permanently skewing the balance in favor of the Europeans, who nevertheless found the so-called Indians a threat. Let’s not discuss who was a threat to whom. The Pequots were one of the prominent tribes of those days. They lived in what is now southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island and to be sure, did not get along with several of the neighboring peoples. There was a complex web of alliances and enmities among the Native Americans. Quarrels arose with the newcomers and in 1637, the English settlers with some Indian allies, attacked the Pequots, attempting to wipe them off the face of the earth. They nearly succeeded—killing, burning, selling some into slavery, and forcing them to migrate. It was one of the first genocides of North American history. The small band of survivors kept their identity alive even if their language was lost, even if their once extensive lands shrank to nearly nothing. By 1935 only 42 Pequots remained of whom only nine lived on the “reservation”. As late as 1976, their land holding amounted to 214 acres in eastern Connecticut divided in two lots. The group discussed in this book is known as the Mashantucket Pequots. Their revival really began in the 1970s when after an epic fight with the federal government, they were recognized in 1982 (thanks a lot) as a bona fide tribe and received federal aid. At the same time, a capable leader enabled the Pequots to set up a wildly successful casino known throughout the eastern USA as “Foxwoods”, thereby reaping several billion dollars over the years. The Pequots bought back land, set up museums to illustrate their history and ancestral culture, and left the destitution of previous times far behind. They said to the world, “We are still here!” though many had considered them extinct for several centuries.
This book was published in 1990. In part it tells the tragic story and revival of the Pequot nation. There are chapters on the use of wampum (shell-bead money), the archaeology of the Pequots, and the rudiments of their folk tales as well. These are what is worth reading. But a large part is the blow by blow description of how the tribe fought for recognition and details of the Indian policy of the state of Connecticut in the 1970s and 80s. This might be useful to preserve the record of that fight, but for the general reader, it’s a swamp of boredom. Hence, I’ve given only three stars, but for those interested in this small, but long-lived Indian nation, the book is a must.
The Pilgrims arrived in New England in 1620. Many other Europeans soon made an appearance as well. It didn’t take long for the Native Americans to realize that these invaders were out to take over. At the same time new diseases wiped out two-thirds of the population, permanently skewing the balance in favor of the Europeans, who nevertheless found the so-called Indians a threat. Let’s not discuss who was a threat to whom. The Pequots were one of the prominent tribes of those days. They lived in what is now southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island and to be sure, did not get along with several of the neighboring peoples. There was a complex web of alliances and enmities among the Native Americans. Quarrels arose with the newcomers and in 1637, the English settlers with some Indian allies, attacked the Pequots, attempting to wipe them off the face of the earth. They nearly succeeded—killing, burning, selling some into slavery, and forcing them to migrate. It was one of the first genocides of North American history. The small band of survivors kept their identity alive even if their language was lost, even if their once extensive lands shrank to nearly nothing. By 1935 only 42 Pequots remained of whom only nine lived on the “reservation”. As late as 1976, their land holding amounted to 214 acres in eastern Connecticut divided in two lots. The group discussed in this book is known as the Mashantucket Pequots. Their revival really began in the 1970s when after an epic fight with the federal government, they were recognized in 1982 (thanks a lot) as a bona fide tribe and received federal aid. At the same time, a capable leader enabled the Pequots to set up a wildly successful casino known throughout the eastern USA as “Foxwoods”, thereby reaping several billion dollars over the years. The Pequots bought back land, set up museums to illustrate their history and ancestral culture, and left the destitution of previous times far behind. They said to the world, “We are still here!” though many had considered them extinct for several centuries.
This book was published in 1990. In part it tells the tragic story and revival of the Pequot nation. There are chapters on the use of wampum (shell-bead money), the archaeology of the Pequots, and the rudiments of their folk tales as well. These are what is worth reading. But a large part is the blow by blow description of how the tribe fought for recognition and details of the Indian policy of the state of Connecticut in the 1970s and 80s. This might be useful to preserve the record of that fight, but for the general reader, it’s a swamp of boredom. Hence, I’ve given only three stars, but for those interested in this small, but long-lived Indian nation, the book is a must.
June 28, 2016
A must have for anyone researching the post-Pequot war natives to contemporary times.
January 13, 2017
Well-researched history of an important tribe that was annihilated by the British because they were too successful as traders. It's a book to have on your history shelf.
May 31, 2007
Our history and our future needs to be preserved.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews