Native American Tribal Information
Native American Information
Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island
Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island
The Narragansett tribe are a Native American tribe who controlled the area surrounding Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island, and also portions of Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts. The Narragansett culture has existed in the region for thousands of years with extensive trade relations. The town of Narragansett, Rhode Island, is named after them. Although they suffered greatly from King Philip's War, the Narragansett absorbed members of other tribes to keep an Indian identity. The Niantic tribe became fully merged into the Narragansett. During colonial and later times, tribe members also intermarried with Europeans, Africans and African-Americans, making them part of the tribe and keeping a tribal identity. While they lost control of much of their tribal lands during late 19th c. state "detribalization", Narragansetts kept a group identity, regained more than half their land in 1978, and gained Federal recognition as a tribe in 1983. According to tribal rolls, there are approximately 2,400 members of the Narragansett Tribe today.
The museum of the Narragansett is the Tomaquag Indian Memorial Museum in Exeter, Rhode Island. The school for the Narragansett children is the Nuweetooun School at the same museum.
The word "Narragansett" means, literally, " of/at the small, narrow point." Some members speak a form of the Algonquian languages. It had died out but tribal members were able partially to reclaim it from books in the early 20th century and then teach it to the next generations. The Narragansett spoke a Y-dialect, similar enough to the N-dialects of the Massachusett and Wampanoag to be mutally intelligible. Other Y-dialects include the Shinnecock and Pequot languages.
In the 17th century, Roger Williams, a co-founder of Rhode Island, learned the tribe's language, documenting it in his 1643 work, A Key Into the Language of America. Williams gave the tribe's name as "Nanhigganeuck", of which "Narragansett" seems to be an English corruption. English has absorbed a number of loan words from Narragansett and other closely related languages such as Wampanoag and Massachusett; such words include quahog, papoose, powwow, squash, and succotash.
Even more about Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island
Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island
Asco wequassunnu'mmis netop" (Good Morning, Friend) Narragansett Indian Tribe Post Office Box 268 Charlestown, Rhode Island 401-364-1100 (Telephone) • 401-364-1104 (Fax)
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Historical Perspective of the Narragansett Indian Tribe. Early History . The Narragansett Indians are the descendants of the aboriginal people of the State of Rhode Island.
