Indigenous Peoples in Rhode Island - Open Books Open Minds - There There by Tommy Orange - James P. Adams Library at James P. Adams Library

Tomaquag Museum - Exeter, RI

"Rhode Island's Only Indigenous Museum Dedicated To Sharing Our Culture, Arts and History From A First Person Perspective. Tomaquag Museum Features An Extensive Collection and Archive That Focuses On Tribal Communities of Southern New England." --Tomaquag Museum website

Tribes in our Region

Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation
"The Eastern Pequot Tribe arose from the ashes of the 1637 massacre at the principle Pequot fortified village on Long Island Sound at Mystic (the traditional name) in the area known as Connecticut (or Quinnetucket), where hundreds of Pequot children, adults and Elders burned alive in their Wigwams or were put to the sword by a colonial militia as they attempted to flee the conflagration. Estimates of those killed that day range from 300 to 700."
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
"The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, also known as the People of the First Light, has inhabited present day Massachusetts and Eastern Rhode Island for more than 12,000 years. After an arduous process lasting more than three decades, the Mashpee Wampanoag were re-acknowledged as a federally recognized tribe in 2007. In 2015, the federal government declared 150 acres of land in Mashpee and 170 acres of land in Taunton as the Tribe’s initial reservation, on which the Tribe can exercise its full tribal sovereignty rights. The Mashpee tribe currently has approximately 2,600 enrolled citizens."
Narragansett Indian Tribe
"The Narragansett Indians are descendants of the aboriginal people of the State of Rhode Island. Archaeological evidence and oral history of the Narragansett People establish their existence in the region more than 30,000 years ago."
Nipmuc Nation
"With more than 500 Citizens and seated at the Hassanamisco Reservation in Grafton Massachusetts, we are one of New England's most historic and largest native communities. It is our sacred mission to preserve and promote the culture, language and values of the Nipmuc People, while striving to improve the quality of life of all our citizens as well as the generations to come."

Territories of Southern New England Tribes, about 1600

Nikater. Adapted to English by Hydrargyrum.Tribal territories of Southern New England tribes about 1600. 2008, Wikimedia Commons.

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Open Books Open Minds - There There by Tommy Orange

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Tomaquag Museum - Exeter, RI

Tribes in our Region

Territories of Southern New England Tribes, about 1600