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   Narragansett

Narragansett flag

   The Narragansett Indians are the descendants of the aboriginal people of the State of Rhode Island. Archaeological evidence and the oral history of the Narragansett People establish their existence in this region more than 30,000 years ago. This history transcends all written documentaries and is present upon the faces of rock formations and through oral history. The first documented contact with the Indians of Rhode Island took place in 1524 when Giovanni de Verrazano visited Narragansett Bay and described a large Indian population, living by agriculture and hunting, and organized under powerful "kings".

Narragansett girl

   Population of Narragansett was probably more than 10,000 in 1610, but by 1674 this had dropped to 5,000. The Narragansett lost almost 20% of their population in a single battle with the English in December of 1675. Massacre and starvation soon killed most of the others. By 1682 less than 500 Narragansett remained. They were allowed to settle with the Eastern Niantic on a reservation at Charlestown, Rhode Island. Though increasingly racially intermixed, the Narragansett have been able to maintain their reservation, organization and population through the years. Federally recognized since 1983, the Narragansett tribal rolls currently list over 2,400 members, most of whom still reside in Rhode Island.

Narragansett man

   Well organized with central authority, the Narragansett were governed by eight hereditary sachems each subordinate to the grand sachem who usually resided in the largest village. Their villages of medium-sized longhouses were usually large, fortified and located on the islands of Narragansett Bay. They farmed extensively with large fields of corn, beans, and squash. Expert with the canoe, their diet was supplemented by hunting - with fish and other seafood being an important staple.

   Historically, tribal members had two homes; a winter home and a summer home. The winter home would be called a long house in which up to 20 families would live in over the cold winter months. During the summer, the tribe would move to the shore and construct Wigwams or Wetus, temporary shelter made of bark on the outside and woven mats on the inside. They would dig out large canoes from trees which could hold up to forty men.

Narragansett Indians grant Rhode Island to Roger Williams

   Due to the increase in number of colonists, the Narragansett hunting and farming grounds were greatly depleted. Colonists also introduced the common hog to the area. These domesticated hogs would roar along the coast and dig up the clam beds, a traditional food source for the Indians.

   During the 18th century, reservation life was extremely harsh. The State abolished the position of the Sachem, the traditional tribal leader, and took over the affairs of the Tribe with a five-man council in 1792. However, tribal members continued to recognize the Sachems and traditional leadership.

   In 1790, the U.S. Congress introduced and passed the Non-Intercourse Act, which prohibited the taking of Indian lands as payment for debts incurred. However, the intention of the Act was ignored in the 19th century when the State of Rhode Island unilaterally attempted to relieve itself of the responsibilities of trustee to the Narragansett People.

   Despite these losses, the main body of the Narragansett has remained in Rhode Island through the years. Rhode Island unilaterally terminated their tribal status in 1880, and the Narragansett lost 3200 acres from their reservation (leaving them with all of two acres). Attempts at legal redress were denied by the Rhode Island Supreme Court in 1898, and although this was a clear violation of the Non-Intercourse Act of 1790, the federal government refused to intervene because the Narragansett had never signed a treaty with the United States. The Narragansett were unable to regain their reserve until the settlement of a lengthy lawsuit in 1978. Their reservation near Charlestown currently has about 2,500 acres.

   After 1901, there continued to be several leaders who were recognized both by the community and by outsiders as Narragansett tribal leaders. The Narragansett Tribe of Indians was incorporated in December 1934. The public once again recognized the offices of the Chief Sachem, Medicine Man, a nine-member Council, and Scribe and the office of Prophet were re-established.

Narragansett Chief Sachem

   The Tribe continued to maintain its traditional government and recognized Sachems, Medicine Men and Women, the Tribal Council, Sub-Chiefs, Tribal Prophets, the War Chief, and Clan Mothers. Monthly meetings were held despite the population's dispersion into towns surrounding the old reservation. Some members who were able to purchase land remained in the reservation area. The annual gathering meeting, 2nd weekend in August, continued to be held each and every year. In 1935, Senator Theodore Frances Greene recognized this gathering and proclaimed the second Saturday of August as Rhode Island Indian Day. This annual ceremony continues to this day and marks the Tribe's 324th year in succession.

   The Longhouse was built in the early 1940's to provide a convenient meeting place for Tribal members. Prior Tribal Council and Tribal Body meetings were held at the Narragansett Indian Meeting House (Church) and the local Charlestown tribal homes of the governing body. The Narragansett Indian Longhouse became the center of Tribal activities. The three acres of land on which the Indian Church is located is the only original parcel of tribal land that has never been out of the possession of the Narragansett Tribe.

   In 1975, the Tribe filed a land claim suit against the State of Rhode Island and several landowners for the return of approximately 3,200 acres of undeveloped reservation lands. The suit was eventually concluded in an out-of-court settlement in 1978 of approximately 1,800 acres. Under state law, the Narragansett Indian Land Management Corporation was created for the purpose of "acquiring, managing and purchasing real property" as provided in the land claim settlement. The corporation was to hold title to the land claim settlement until the Narragansett Indian Tribe was officially reinstated as a federally recognized and acknowledged Indian Tribe.

Narragansett man present day

   In 1978, with the support of the Native American Rights Fund, a tribal genealogist was elected to compile data for a federal status petition. A fifteen-volume petition for federal recognition was submitted to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1979.

   The Narragansett Indian Tribe received federal recognition and acknowledgement on April 11, 1983. State legislation, which transferred title to the Tribe, was enacted in 1985. The Tribe then initiated procedures in 1985 to obtain federal trust status for the settlement land. The land was placed in provisional trust, subject to a completed, tribally approved cadastral survey.

Narragans & Roger Williams

   London-born Roger Williams (c.1603-1683) was an American Puritan leader and founder of Rhode Island. Banished from Massachusetts in 1636 for his separatist ideas, he set out with a few followers and went to Rhode Island. There he befriended the Narragansett Indians and bought land from them to settle on, naming the town Providence. Williams firmly believed in treating the Indians justly and humanely; he encouraged his fellow colonists to pay the Indians fairly for their land. In 1643, he published a dictionary of the Algonquian language, an endeavor which helped further friendly relations between the settlers and the Narragansetts. Providence became a safe haven for many people, among them Quakers, Baptists, and Jews, who fled the religious persecution of the New England settlements.

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