The Pequot tribe settled in southeastern Connecticut and were known for their warlike nature. They grew crops, fished, and hunted, and were organized through a tribal council. They quarreled with other tribes over the fur trade with Europeans, which ultimately weakened them. The Pequot War broke out in 1637, resulting in the end of Native American resistance to European settlement. By 1910, only 66 Pequots remained, but their numbers increased in the 20th century. The tribe won $700,000 in reparations and used it to establish Foxwoods Casino, which is now the largest in the world.
Pequot Indians first settled what is now southeastern Connecticut. The warlike nature of the Pequot tribe is reflected in its name, which means “destroyer” in the Algonquian language. Today, descendants of the Pequot run the largest casino in the world.
The tribe originally grew squash, beans, tobacco, and corn; they also fished and hunted for meat and furs. The Pequot tribe were fiercely protective of their territory and fortified their villages. More than many other Native American tribes, the Pequots were organized centrally through the tribal council. This structure allowed them to mount lightning raids on neighboring tribes.
Dutch settlers first came into contact with the Pequot tribe in 1614, when they began exploring and trading east of the Hudson River Valley. The Dutch, as well as the English and French, saw great potential in the fur trade and established a post near Hartford in 1622. Rich American furs were in great demand in Europe, and Native Americans traded for cloth, brass pots, glass, and tools.
Although the Dutch wanted to trade with all local American Indian tribes, the Pequot tribe wanted total control over the lucrative fur trade. They quarreled with other tribes and made deals with Dutch traders. Ironically, increased contact with Europeans severely weakened the Pequot; diseases such as smallpox may have claimed half the Pequot population.
Meanwhile, English merchants began setting up their own trading posts to deprive the Dutch of some of their trading income. The Pequot tribe intended to control these outlets as well. Their tactics—ambushing rival Indian traders and killing European traders—outraged both Native Americans and white settlers.
Reprisal fighting intensified on both sides until the Pequot War broke out in 1637. An English soldier named John Mason led a party of 400 European and Native American fighters to the Pequot encampment. The Pequot fighters had set out to raid white villages near Hartford. Mason’s forces herded 700 Pequot women, children, and elders into a fort and burned it down. English soldiers killed the fugitives.
Combined with the effects of disease, the Pequot War effectively marked the end of Native American resistance to European settlement in the area. Pequot numbers dwindled; by 1910 there were only 66 left. Numbers increased during the 20th century, however, and a favorable court ruling in the 1970s won them $700,000 United States Dollars (USD) in reparations. The Pequot tribe put this money into a gambling operation called Foxwoods Casino. The casino is the largest in the world and helped make the tribe the richest in the United States.
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