Mashantucket Pequots
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The Mashantucket Pequots are a small Native American tribe in Connecticut which operates the successful Foxwoods Resort Casino.
The Mashantucket Pequots are descendants of the Pequots, most of whom were killed in the Pequot War in 1637. This group is the Western Mashantucket Pequot and they have a reservation within the borders of Ledyard, Connecticut. In 1983 the Tribal Nation gained federal recognition as an Indian tribe through Congressional approval. As of 1990 their population was 320.
Historically, their reservation was created by the Colony of Connecticut in 1666. Over time it had been reduced to less than an acre (4,000 m²), and population went as low as 20 or 30 natives. After a successful lawsuit over misappropriated reservation lands they began to expand the reservation by purchases having them placed into Trust by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Their successful and enormous casino, which is a few hours by bus from New York City, was opened in 1992 and since then they have used the revenue to continue expanding their reservation to about 1,800 acres (7 km²).
Near the casino, the Pequots maintain a museum charting their history and culture through good times and bad. The museum acts as an education center frequented by school children and adults. Visitors come from all over the globe. As a tribute to the diversity that makes up Indian Country, the museum hosts local and international indigenous artists, artifacts and musicians throughout the year.
See Also
Further reading
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- The National Indian Gaming Association has criticized Benedict's book, accusing it of being a work of fiction which attempts to undermine the tribe's status as an Indian nation. [1] (http://www.indiangaming.org/library/articles/novel-attack.shtml)
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The Pequots in Southern New England: The Fall and Rise of an American Indian Nation (The Civilization of the American Indian Series, Vol 198) by Laurence M. Hauptman, James D. Wherry (Editor) Paperback Publisher: University of Oklahoma Press (March 1, 1993) Language: English ISBN: 0806125152
Facing East from Indian Country: A Native History of Early America by Daniel K. Richter Hardcover: 320 pages Publisher: Harvard University Press (December 1, 2001) Language: English ISBN: 0674006380
Spirit of the New England Tribes: Indian History and Folklore, 1620-1984 by William Scranton Simmons Paperback: 343 pages Publisher: University Press of New England; 1st edition (March 15, 1986) Language: English ISBN: 0874513723
500 Nations : An Illustrated History of North American Indians by ALVIN M. JR JOSEPHY Hardcover: 480 pages Publisher: Gramercy (August 6, 2002) Language: English ISBN: 0517163942
External Links
- The Pequot Museum & Research Center (http://www.pequotmuseum.org)
- The Foxwoods Resort Casino web site (http://www.foxwoods.com)