Heritage
The Brothertown (sometimes spelled as Brotherton) came together in the 1700s under the leadership of Samson Occom, as a means of continuing our common culture and identity. The Tribe descends from Christian Indians of the Mohegan, Pequot, Niantic, Narragansett, Montaukett, and Tunxis tribes from seven separate Indian villages in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Long Island, New York.
We are an amalgamation of indigenous peoples, as are many tribes. Coercive and short-sighted Indian policies implemented by colonial governments and the U.S. government have resulted in the takeover of millions of acres of Indian land, and changed the make up of many Indian nations. Some nations have had amalgamation forced upon them; some have accepted it; we chose it.
Our parent tribes are all Algonquian. Long before Euramerican settlements, our six parent tribes had a shared history.
In 1832, after having moved 4 times in 60 years, we came to the eastern shores of Lake Winnebago in Wisconsin, migrating west with the Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe and members of the Oneida Indian Nation.