PEQUOT

For early Indians southern New England was choice territory. First, this part of North America has good topsoil for growing corn, beans, and squash. The soil of the lower Connecticut River valley and along Narragansett

Bay is especially fertile. Second, the forests, with all kinds of hardwood and evergreen trees, are a good environment for all sorts of game. And third, unlike the east shore in northern New England that faces the Atlantic, the south shore is sheltered from the elements. Long Island, which extends eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, protects much of the coast from the heavy winds and large waves of the open ocean. Block Island, Fishers Island, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket also break the path of storms, as do numerous smaller islands. As a result, in the southern part of all three states touching the south shore—Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts—there are many quiet bays and inlets, with fish and shellfish for the taking.

Various groups of ALGONQUIANS competed for this rich territory (see NORTHEAST INDIANS). One of the most powerful and warlike tribes was the Pequot, or Pequod. Their ancestors supposedly had migrated from the Hudson River valley in present-day New York State, perhaps breaking off from the MAHICAN. They fought with other Algonquians, both the NARRAGANSETT and NIANTIC, for land. At the time of contact with the Puritans and other English colonists in the early 1600s, the Pequot controlled most of the coastal area from the Connecticut River to Rhode Island. They had even attacked and defeated many of the MONTAUK bands on Long Island. No wonder they were known as the Pequot, pronounced PEE-kwot, meaning “destroyers.”

At the time of Pequot dominance, Sassacus was the grand sachem, or great chief. His village was situated on the Thames River. He had 26 subordinate chiefs, each with his own palisaded village of wigwams. One of these lesser chiefs, Uncas, was dissatisfied with Sassacus’s rule and broke off to form his own tribe, who came to be known as the MOHEGAN. The Mohegan became allies of the colonists. But Sassacus and his followers resented the growing presence of the British settlers, leading to disputes over land and trade goods.