Native American Tribes of Connecticut

Welcome to Native Languages of the Americas! You have reached the Native American states section of our website, a new educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each Connecticut tribe, or scroll below the map for Connecticut Indian activities including a wordsearch, fact sheets for kids about each tribe, and worksheets teaching words from the different Native American languages of Connecticut. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

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American Indians in 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)

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.

There are two federally recognized Indian tribes in Connecticut today.

Here are the addresses of Connecticut's Indian reservations:

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

Teaching and learning activities about Connecticut Native Americans:

Feel free to print these out for classroom use!

Connecticut Tribes Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of Connecticut's Indian tribes.

Connecticut Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native Connecticut languages.

Connecticut Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of Connecticut animals.

Connecticut Indian Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the tribes of Connecticut.
We currently have pages for the Mahican, Minisink, Nipmuc, Niantic, Pocumtuc, Mohegan and Pequot tribes.

Recommended books about Connecticut Native Americans:

Connecticut's Indigenous Peoples: Good book about Connecticut Native history, culture, and traditions.

Connecticut Indians: Introducing Connecticut's Native American history and culture to kids.

Encyclopedia of Connecticut Indians: Thorough reference book about the Native American tribes of Connecticut.

The Indians of Connecticut: Anthropology book about the Connecticut Indian tribes.

Native American Place Names of Connecticut: The native etymology of present-day place-names in Connecticut.

Other resources 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.