Indigenous Peoples of Connecticut

Learn of the Indians of Connecticut, the tribes and bands, state recognized tribes, agencies, reservations, records and archives, libraries and repositories.

The word Connecticut comes from the Indian word Quinnehtukqut meaning "beside the long tidal river"

Tribes and Bands of Connecticut
The following list of American Indians who have lived in Connecticut has been compiled from Hodge's Handbook of American Indians... and from Swanton's The Indian Tribes of North America. Some may simply be variant spellings for the same tribe.

Mahican, Mohegan, Narraganset, Niantic, Nipmuc, Pequot, Schaghticoke, Wappinger

Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe -- The Connecticut State Library has some records for this tribe, 1836-1995. Their collection includes some genealogies.

Mashantucket Pequot, or Western Pequot -- This tribe has been federally recognized since 1983. The Connecticut State Library has some records for this tribe, 1836-1995. Their collection includes some genealogies.

Mohegan Tribe -- The Mohegan Tribe also has a tribal web site.

Pauckatuck Pequot or Eastern Pequot -- The Connecticut State Library has some records for this tribe, 1836-1995. Their collection includes some genealogies.

Schaghticoke Tribe

New England Confederation: Paugussett, Naugatucks, Pootatuck, Wepawaug and Pequannock

The Indians of Connecticut. By Harold Clayton Bradshaw. FHL book 970.1 B729ic

American Indians in Connecticut, Past to Present. By Mary E. Guillette. FHL|625773|disp=FHL book 970.1 G945a WorldCat

Connecticut State Recognized Tribes

 * Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation (created by merging of Paucatuck Eastern Pequot Indians of Connecticut and Eastern Pequot Indians of Connecticut)
 * Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation
 * Paucatuck Eastern Pequot
 * Schaghticoke Indian Tribe

Agencies of the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Agencies and subagencies were created as administrative offices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and its predecessors. Their purpose was (and is) to manage Indian affairs with the tribes, to enforce policies, and to assist in maintaining the peace. The names and location of these agencies may have changed, but their purpose remained basically the same. Many of the records of genealogical value were created by these offices. The British government and the Colony of Connecticut also tried to maintain a working relationship with the tribes of Connecticut during the colonial period.

No agencies have been located for Connecticut.

Records
The majority of records of individuals were those created by the agencies. Some records may be available to tribal members through the tribal headquarters.They were (and are) the local office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and were charged with maintaining records of the activities of those under their responsibility. Among these records are:


 * Allotment records
 * Annuity rolls
 * Census records
 * Correspondence
 * Health records
 * Reports
 * School census and records
 * Vital records

Trading Post
Leaping Deer (1979)

Reservations

 * Corun Hill Reservation (1680 in Huntington)
 * Eastern Pequot Reservation
 * Golden Hill Reservation (1650's near Statford)
 * Mashantucker Reservation (State, 1667 for Western Pequot's)
 * Mohegan Indian Reservation
 * Paucatuch Reservation (Eastern Pequot)
 * Pequot Reservation (State, Tribes: Pequot and Mohegan in Fairfield and New London Counties)
 * Schaghticoke Reservation (near Kent)
 * Turkey Hill Reservation (1674)

For a current reservation map - Connecticut - Indian Reservations- The National Atlas of the United States of America. Federal Lands and Indian Reservations. by the U.S. Department of Interior and U.S. Geological Survey.

Reference


 * Isaacs, Katherine M., Omni Gazetteer of the United States of America, U.S. Data Sourcebook Volume 11 Appendices, Bureau of Indian Affairs List of American Indian Reservations Appendix E, Indian reservations, Omnigraphics, Inc., 1991,

Archives, Libraries, Societies and Repositories

 * National Archives: Record Group 72, The Kansas Claims. The claims include compensation of the Brotherton and Stockbridge Indians for land lost what removed.The claims include genealogical information on several generations and may lead back to New York and New England.
 * The Indian and Colonial Research Center, Old Mystic, Connecticut
 * Rhode Island Historical Society has the Campbell and LaFantasie Collectiona chronological collection of Narragansett and Niantic documents.
 * New England Historic Genealogical Society has resources on New England Native peoples. One of their collection is the Brotherton Indian Collection, MSS 395 (once known as the Rudi and Will Ottery Papers) which includes Tribal Rolls 1833-1986, Brotherton Enrollment Records, Historical records, Individual Files and Descents from Brotherton Ancestors.
 * Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Mashantucket, Connecticut
 * Family History Library FamilySearch Catalog Connecticut Native Races