Pequot
Pequot was a Native American nation.
Contents
History
The Pequot nation settled along the coast of the Long Island Sound.
In the 1630s, in an effort to monopolize trade with English and Dutch traders, the tribe rapidly expanded across the Connecticut River Valley. This included the territories of the Wampanoag, the Narragansett, and the Mohegan, and various Algonquin settlements. This conflict became known as the Pequot War. The Narragansett and Mohegan allied with Connecticut and Massachusetts Bay against the Pequot.
The war ended in the effective genocide of the Pequot. Survivors were enslaved to the Narragansett, the Mohegan, and Connecticut. The Pequot cultural identity was outlawed.
The war may have also been the origin of taking body parts from killed Native Americans; soldiers received pay for bringing back heads and scalps.
Composition
The tribe was led by a sachem.