The Pequot were an Algonquian-speaking group of Native Americans. They lived in the Thames River valley of what is now eastern Connecticut. In the early 1600s, the tribe was nearly destroyed through warfare with English colonists.

Society and culture

The Pequot lived in an area of rich soil and thick forests. They occupied many small villages. Each had about 20 wigwams, dome-shaped houses made from poles and bark. Near their villages, the Pequot cleared fields where they grew corn (maize) and other crops. Men of the tribe fished and hunted for deer and other game animals. They also made seashells into beads called wampum that were much prized in Native America.

History

The Pequot were traditionally a powerful people. They obtained much of their territory through combat with other Indians. In the early 1600s, the Pequot were ruled by Sassacus, who oversaw about 25 sub-chiefs.

Early in the 17th century, the Pequot became partners with the Dutch in the fur trade. This angered the region's English settlers. When an English trader was murdered in 1636, the English blamed the Pequot. The tribe had recently lost some of its warriors in a smallpox epidemic. Other warriors became enemies when a group led by a Pequot sub-chief called Uncas broke away to form the Mohegan tribe. The Mohegan and a nearby tribe called the Narraganset joined the English to fight the weakened Pequot in what came to be called the Pequot War.

The English attacked Sassacus's village of Mystic Fort on May 25, 1637. During the battle, they killed about 600 Pequot, including women and children. The English took many of the survivors captive and sold them into slavery. Some Pequot were able to escape and find refuge among other tribes.

The English tried to destroy the Pequot as a people. But despite their efforts, several Pequot communities survived. Two separate Pequot groups eventually emerged—the Mashantucket Pequot and the Paucatuck Pequot. By 1700, both had small territories in Connecticut. After the American Revolution, many of the Pequot left Connecticut to join the Brotherton religious group in New York State. Over time, the Pequot lost land, and their population fell.

In the 1980s, the Mashantucket Pequot were awarded a settlement for lands illegally taken from them in the past. The settlement helped the Mashantucket build the Foxwoods Resort Casino, which opened in 1993. Drawing customers from an area where many people lived, the casino was very successful. Some of the profits went to build and maintain the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. The large complex includes a replica of a 16th-century Pequot village. As of 1990 there were 679 Pequot in the United States.