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Native American Tribes of Connecticut


Did you know the name "Connecticut" is an Algonquian Indian word? It means "long river" and refers to the Connecticut River.



The original Algonquian-speaking inhabitants of the area that is now Connecticut included:


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 *The Mahican tribes (including the Pocomtuc)
*The Minisink (Munsee) tribe
*The Mohegan tribes (including the Niantic)
*The Pequot tribe
*The Nipmuc tribe
*The Quiripi tribes (Mattabesic, Paugusett, and Schaghticoke)

See also our new Mahican, Minisink, Nipmuc, Niantic, Pocumtuc, Mohegan and Pequot Facts for Kids pages!

There were originally many small American Indian tribes in the Connecticut area, including the Mohegan, Pequot, Niantic, Nipmuc, Mattabesic, Schaghticoke, Paugussett, and others. Though all of them spoke related languages and shared many cultural similarities, each tribe had its own leadership and its own territory. However, European epidemics and warfare devastated the Connecticut Indians, and the survivors had to merge with each other to survive. Soon there were no longer clear distinctions between the groups, and today most Native Americans of Connecticut have heritage from more than one of these original tribes, regardless of which tribe they officially belong to. All of their languages have been lost, but native people continue to preserve their cultural heritage in Connecticut today.

Federally recognized Indian tribes in Connecticut today include:

1 Mashantucket Pequot Nation:
PO Box 3060
Mashantucket, CT 06339

2 Mohegan Tribe:
27 Church Lane
Uncasville, CT 06382
http://www.mohegan.nsn.us/

Other Indian tribes, bands and communities remaining in Connecticut today include:

*Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation:
P.O. Box 208
North Stonington, CT 06359

*Paucatuck Eastern Pequot Tribe:
935 Lantern Hill Road
Ledyard, CT 06339

*Schaghticoke Indian Tribe:
PO Box 111
Kent, CT 06757

Related links about American Indian history, culture and society in Connecticut state:

*History of Connecticut Through 1690: Overview of Connecticut's geography and Native American tribes.
*Indians of Connecticut: History and genealogy of the Connecticut Native American tribes.

Recommended books about Connecticut Native Americans:

*Connecticut Indians: Introducing Connecticut's Native American history and culture to kids.
*History of the Indians of Connecticut: Detailed book on the various Mohegan and Pequot tribes of Connecticut.
*Uncas: First of the Mohegans: Biography of the 17th-century Connecticut Indian chief.
*The Indians of the Nipmuck Country: History book about this Massachusetts/Connecticut Indian tribe.
*Native American Place Names of Connecticut: The native etymology of present-day place-names in Connecticut.



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