The Narraganset were a powerful tribe of Native Americans whose homeland included much of present-day Rhode Island. Fifty years after the arrival of the English in their lands, they were nearly destroyed by warfare.

Society and culture

The tribe obtained much of its food by farming. Women planted and tended large fields of corn (maize), beans, squash, and sunflowers. Men hunted game such as deer and moose. They also trapped animals and fished.

The Narraganset lived in villages which were often protected by stockade fences. Families lived in round wigwams covered with bark.

The Narraganset were divided into several major groups, each ruled by a separate chief. These chiefs, however, had to answer to the tribe's principal chief.

The Narraganset's environment was rich in shells used to make wampum. Wampum were purple and white shell beads that Indians in New England greatly valued. After non-Indians came into their lands, wampum was used as a form of money. The Narraganset's access to this treasured resource gave them power over their Indian neighbors.

History

In 1524, Italian explorer Giovanni da Verrazano became the first European to visit the Narraganset. Nearly a century passed before the English settlers began to arrive in the region. Even before settlement started, Old World diseases killed many members of the coastal tribes. The Narraganset, however, were almost unaffected by the epidemic. They took advantage of the situation by taking control over the newly weakened tribes in the area.

At first, the Narraganset were friendly with non-Indians. They welcomed Roger Williams, who established the English colony of Rhode Island in their homeland. Unlike most Englishmen, Williams respected the property rights of Indians.

As friends of the English, the Narraganset helped them fight a war against the Pequot tribe in 1637. In 1675, however, they tried to stay neutral when King Philip's War broke out between the English and several New England tribes. The Narraganset were drawn into the war after their leader, Canonchet, refused English demands to turn over Wampanoag Indians who had fled into their territory. On December 18, 1675, the English army responded by attacking and burning a large Narraganset village near present-day Kingston, Rhode Island. In the battle, which became known as the Great Swamp Fight, about 600 Narraganset men were killed. Hundreds of women and children were captured and enslaved.

Surviving members of the tribe had to flee from their lands. Most joined other tribes, such as the Mahican, Abnaki, and Niantic. Those who merged with the Niantic kept the name Narraganset. They were given a small reservation in Rhode Island which was dissolved in 1880. The tribe was reorganized in 1934. In 1983 they were recognized by the U.S. government. At the end of the 20th century there were about 2,500 Narraganset living in the United States.