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Indian Tribes of
Connecticut
The northwestern corner of
Litchfield County was occupied by the Wawyachtonoc, a tribe of the Mahican
Confederacy of the upper Hudson, though their main seats were in Columbia
and Dutchess Counties, N. Y. (See New York.)
The name means "wolf." They are not to be confused with the
Mahican. Also called:
River Indians.
Seaside People.
Unkus [Uncas] Indians, from the name of their chief.
Upland Indians.
Connections. The Mohegan belonged to the
Algonquian linguistic stock and spoke a y-dialect closely related to
Pequot.
Location. The Mohegan
originally occupied most of the upper valley of the Thames and its
branches. Later they claimed authority over some of the Nipmuc and the
Connecticut River tribes, and in the old Pequot territory. (See also
New York.)
Villages
Ashowat, between Amston and Federal.
Catantaquck, near the head of Pachaug River.
Checapscaddock, southeast of the mouth of Shetucket River in the town of
Preston.
Kitemaug, on the west wide of Thames River between Uncasville and
Massapeag.
Mamaquaog, on Natchaug River northeast of Willimantic.
Mashantackack, near Palmertown, town of Montville.
Massapeag, at the place now so-called' on the west side of Thames River.
Mohegan, at the present town of Mohegan on the west side of Thames River.
Moosup, at the present Moosup in the town of Plainfield.
Nawhesetuck, on Fenton River north of Willimantic.
Pachaug, at the present Pachaug in the town of Griswold.
Paugwonk, near Gardiner Lake in the town of Salem.
Pautexet, near the present Jewett City in the town of Griswold.
Pigscomsuck, on the right bank of Quinebaug River near the present line
between
New London and Windham Counties.
Poquechanneeg, near Lebanon.
Poquetanock, near Trading Cove, town of Preston.
Shantuck, on the west side of Thames River just north of Mohegan.
Showtucket or Shetucket, near Lisbon in the fork of the Shetucket and
Quinebaug Rivers.
Wauregan, on the east side of Quinebaug River in the town of Plainfield.
Willimantic, on the site of the present city of Willimantic.
Yantic, at the present Yantic on Yantic River.
History. The Mohegan were
probably a branch of the Mahican. Originally under Sassacus, chief of the
Pequot, they afterward became independent and upon the destruction of the
Pequot in 1637, Uncas, the Mohegan chief, became ruler also of the
remaining Pequot and set up pretensions to territory north and west beyond
his original borders. At the end of King Philip's War, the Mohegan were
the only important tribe remaining in southern New England, but as the
White settlements advanced they were reduced progressively both in
territory and in numbers. Many joined the Scaticook, and in 1788 a still
larger body united with the Brotherton in New York, where they formed the
largest single element in the new settlement. The rest continued in their
old town at Mohegan, where a remnant of mixed bloods still survives.
Population. The number of
Mohegan were estimated by Mooney (1928) at 2,200 in 1600; in 1643,
including the remnant of the Pequot and perhaps other tribes, at between
2,000 and 2,500. In 1705 they numbered 750; in 1774, 206 were reported; in
1804, 84; in 1809, 69; in 1825, 300; in 1832, about 350; in 1910, 22.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The Mohegan became celebrated on account of the services
rendered the Whites by Uncas. Today their name is perpetuated in Mohegan,
on Thames River, and the name of their chief in Uncasville on the same
stream. There a post village of this name in McDowell County, W. Va., and
Mohegan Lake in Westchester County, N. Y., but this is named after the
Mahican.
Regarding the name, see
Niantic,
Eastern, under Rhode Island.
Connections. These were
the same as for the Eastern Niantic. (See
Rhode Island.)
Location. On the seacoast from Niantic Bay to
Connecticut River.
Villages
Niantic or Nehantucket, near the present town of Niantic.
There was another near Old Lyme.
History. Originally the
Western Niantic are thought to have constituted one tribe with the Eastern
Niantic and to have been cut apart from them by the Pequot. They were
nearly destroyed in the Pequot war and at its close (1637) were placed
under the control of the Mohegan. About 1788 many joined the Brotherton
Indians. A small village of Niantic was reported as existing near Danbury
in 1809, but this perhaps contained remnants of the tribes of western
Connecticut, although Speck (1928) found several Indians of mixed
Niantic-Mohegan descent living with the Mohegan remnant, descendants of a
pure-blood Niantic woman from the mouth of Niantic River.
Population. The Western Niantic population
was estimated by Mooney (1928) at 600 in 1600; there were about 100 in
1638; 85 in 1761.
Connection in which they have become noted.
The name of the Western Niantic is perpetuated in Niantic village, Niantic
River, and Niantic Bay, in New London County. Post villages in Macon
County, Ill., and Montgomery County, Pa., bear the name Niantic.
Some bands of this tribe extended into the northeastern part of the State.
(See Massachusetts.)
The name means, according to
Trumbull (1818), "destroyers." Also called:
Sickenames, in a Dutch deed quoted by Ruttenber (1872).
Connections. The Pequot
belonged to the Algonquian linguistic stock, and spoke a y-dialect closely
related to Mohegan.
Location. The Pequot occupied the coast of New
London County from Niantic River nearly to the Rhode Island State line.
Until driven out by the Narraganset, they extended into Rhode Island as
far as Wecapaug River. (See also Rhode
Island.)
Villages
Asupsuck, in the interior of the town of Stonington.
Aukumbumsk or Awcumbuck, in the center of the Pequot country near Gales
Ferry.
Aushpook, at Stonington.
Cosattuck, probably near Stonington. Cuppanaugunnit, probably in New
London County.
Mangunckakuck, probably on Thames River below Mohegan.
Maushantuxet, at Ledyard.
Mystic, near West Mystic on the west side of Mystic River.
Monhunganuck, near Beach Pond in the town of Voluntown.
Nameaug, near New London.
Noank, at the present place of that name.
Oneco, at the place of that name in the town of Sterling.
Paupattokshick, on the lower course of Thames River.
Pawcatuck, probably on the river of the same name, Washington County, R.
I. Pequotauk, near New London.
Poquonock, inland from Poquonock Bridge.
Sauquonckackock, on the west side of Thames River below Mohegan.
Shenecosset, near Midway in the town of Groton.
Tatuppequauog, on the Thames River below Mohegan.
Weinshauks, Dear Groton.
Wequetequock, on the east side of the river of the same name.
History. The Pequot
and the Mohegan are supposed to have been invaders from the direction of
Hudson River. At the period of first White contact, the Pequot were
warlike and greatly dreaded by their neighbors. They and the Mohegan were
jointly ruled by Sassacus until the revolt of Uncas, the Mohegan chief.
(See Mohegan.) About 1635 the Narraganset drove them from a corner
of the present Rhode Island which they had previously held, and 2 years
later the murder of a trader who had treated some Indians harshly involved
the Pequot in war with the Whites. At that time their chief controlled 26
subordinate chiefs, claimed authority over all Connecticut east of
Connecticut River, and on the coast as far west as New Haven or Guilford,
as well as all of Long Island except the extreme western end. Through the
influence of Roger Williams, the English secured the assistance or
neutrality of the surrounding tribes. Next they surprised and destroyed
the principal Pequot fort near Mystic River along with 600 Indians of all
ages and both sexes, and this disaster crippled the tribe so much that,
after a few desperate attempts at further resistance, they determined to
separate into small parties and abandon the country (1637). Sassacus and a
considerable body of followers were intercepted near Fairfield while
trying to escape to the Mohawk and almost all were killed or captured.
Those who surrendered were divided among the Mohegan, Narraganset, and
Niantic, and their territory passed
under the authority of Uncas. Their Indian overlords treated them so
harshly, however, that they were taken out of their hands by the colonists
in 1655 and settled in two villages near Mystic River, where some of their
descendants still live. Numbers removed to other places Long Island, New
Haven, the Nipmuc country, and elsewhere while many were kept as slaves
among the English in New England or sent to the West Indies.
Population. The Pequot
population was estimated by Mooney (1928) at 2,200 in 1600; in 1637,
immediately after the Pequot war, there were said to be 1,950, but the
figure is probably too high. In 1674 the Pequot in their old territory
numbered about 1,500; in 1762, 140. In 1832 there were said to be about 40
mixed-bloods, but the census of 1910 gave 66, of whom 49 were in
Connecticut and 17 in Massachusetts.
Connection in which they have
become noted. The Pequot are remembered principally on account of the
bitter and, to them, disastrous war related above. The name is borne by a
post village in Crow Wing County, Minn.
The valley of Connecticut River
was the home of a number of bands which might be called Mattabesec after the name
of the most important of them, and this in turn was a part of the
Wappinger. (See New York.)
Additional Resources
Notes About the Book:
Source: The Indian Tribes of North America, by John R. Swanton, 1953, Bureau of
American Ethnology, Bulletin 145, US Government Printing Office, Washington DC.
Online Publication: The manuscript was scanned and then ocr'd. Minimal editing
has been done, and readers can and should expect some errors in the textual
output.
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