Celebrate Native American Heritage Month, by learning about our Parent Tribes…

October 31, 2024 by wottery in Uncategorized

November is Native American Heritage Month! Throughout the month, we, Brothertown Indian Nation members, take the time to recognize Indigenous people’s history, culture, and contributions to our Country, our cities, and our communities. With that in mind, we have created a page to learn about our shared history, and ancestors to help us better understand where we came from, using a variety of books, scholarly articles, and Videos.

Books and other resources:

“NOTES ON THE MOHEGAN AND NIANTIC INDIANS” – The following ethnologic notes refer to two tribes of the eastern branch of the Algonquin linguistic stock residing in Connecticut, east of the Hudson River. These tribes and others of the Atlantic coast region were among the first to encounter European settlers almost three hundred years ago.
“Pequot Cultural Entanglement in 17th-Century Connecticut” – Scholarly Paper by William A. Farley. This paper explores how, one particular group shifted their economic strategies to meet new challenges presented them by early encounters with Dutch and English settlers. The Pequots, who in the 1620s dominated much of southern New England, were one of the native groups most significantly affected by the European settlement of Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
History of the Narragansett Indian Nation (Providence College digital Library) (Brief Abstract: a concise look at the history of the Narragansett Tribe from the 1600 to present day)
Brief article on the Tunxis from Farmington Valley (by Cynthia Griggs (from the Brothertown Citizen files) (Abstract: During the Woodland Period (1000 B.C. to Contact with Europeans) agriculture was introduced, and people planted gardens of corn, squash, and beans (called “the three sisters), and other crops. Corn replaced acorns and hickory nuts as diet staples. Bows and arrows replaced spears for hunting. Wigwams were constructed in a village setting. English Colonists encountered large villages in Windsor, Farmington, and Simsbury.
Wyandanch: Sachem of the Montauks by John A. Strong (chapter 3 in his book detailing this topic.)
An excellent and brief overview of the Niantic Tribe written by Lee Sultzman (Author of “History of the Niantic People.”