Chaubunagungamaug Reservation
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Chaubunagungamaug Reservation refers to the small parcel of land located in the town of
Thompson, Connecticut Thompson is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The town was named after Sir Robert Thompson, an English landholder. The population was 9,189 at the 2020 census ...
, close to the border with the town of Webster, Massachusetts, and within the bounds of Lake Chaubunagungamaug (Webster Lake) to the east and the French River to the west. The reservation is used by the descendants of the Nipmuck Indians of the previous reservation, c. 1682–1869, that existed in the same area, who now identify as the Webster/Dudley Band of the Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck. The reservation only consists of 2.5 acres (1.0 hectare), and does not support a permanent population. It does serve as a meeting place and cultural center for Webster/Dudley Band of the Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck. The land is also used as a place for the reinterment of local Native American remains. The tribe, and its reservation, are recognized in Massachusetts, but both lack recognition in
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
and at the federal level.


History


Praying Town of Chabanakongkomun

The first attempt at providing land for the Indians was the '
Praying town Praying towns were settlements established by English colonial governments in New England from 1646 to 1675 in an effort to convert local Native Americans to Christianity. The Native people who moved into the towns were known as Praying Indi ...
s' established by the missionary John Eliot, starting with Natick in 1651. Eliot petitioned the Great and General Court to provide land for the formation of townships, which the colonial government awarded in 1651, in response to the growing population of English settlers, which had doubled through natural increase and large-scale migration. Eliot, who had already been instrumental in learning the language, translating the Bible, advocating for the Indians and teaching them literacy, settled Indian converts, known as '
Praying Indian Praying Indian is a 17th-century term referring to Native Americans of New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Ver ...
s,' in these communities. The Praying towns fell under colonial jurisdiction and laws, and the Praying Indians were forced to adopt many English customs, civil systems Christianity, but were self-governing with most administrative positions filled by the tribal elite, operated in their own language and were able to maintain Native customs. In 1672, Joseph, son of the Hassanamessit (
Grafton, Massachusetts Grafton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,664 at the 2020 census. The town consists of the North Grafton, Grafton, and South Grafton geographic areas, each with a separate ZIP Code. Incorporated ...
) sachem Petavit (Petuhannit), also known as Robin, began preaching to the Indians of Chabanakongkomun, as Eliot referred to it. Eliot and Major-General
Daniel Gookin Danyell "Daniel" Gookin (1612 – 19 March 1687) was a Munster colonist, settler of Virginia and Massachusetts, and a writer on the subject of Indigenous peoples of the Americas, American Indians. Early life He was born, perhaps in County Cork, ...
, representing the colonial government, visited the area four times between 1668 and 1674. In 1673, Gookin installed Willymachin, also known as Black James, the sachem of Chabanakongkomun as Constable over four new Praying towns being established nearby. They returned in 1674, to officially recognize the Praying town with Joseph as its teacher. The new town did not receive an official land grant as it was still far from English settlements and due to the outbreak of
King Philip's War King Philip's War (sometimes called the First Indian War, Metacom's War, Metacomet's War, Pometacomet's Rebellion, or Metacom's Rebellion) was an armed conflict in 1675–1678 between a group of indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodland ...
1675-1676 during
Metacomet Metacomet (c. 1638 in Massachusetts – August 12, 1676), also known as Pometacom, Metacom, and by his adopted English name King Philip,Cogley, R. W. (199). pp. 155-166. Chabanakongkomun was abandoned, as many fled to join Metacomet, others served the English as scouts and guides and those that remained were forcibly marched to Deer Island where many died of exposure, starvation and illness.Calloway, C. G. C. (1997). p. 2.


See also

* Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck *
Nipmuc The Nipmuc or Nipmuck people are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who historically spoke an Eastern Algonquian languages, Eastern Algonquian language, probably the Loup language. Their historic territory Nippenet, meaning 'the f ...
* Nipmuc Nation * Native American tribes in Massachusetts *
State-recognized tribes State-recognized tribes in the United States are Native American tribes or heritage groups that do not meet the criteria for federally recognized Indian tribes but have been recognized by state government through laws, governor's executive orders ...
*
List of Indian reservations in the United States This is a list of Indian reservations and other tribal homelands in the United States. In Canada, the List of Indian reserves in Canada, Indian reserve is a similar institution. Federally recognized reservations There are approximately 567 fed ...


References


External links


''Webster man keeps Nipmuc tradition alive'' - ''Worcester Telegram''


* ttp://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/06/06/members_of_nipmuc_tribe_look_to_keep_their_culture_alive/ "Through songs and artifacts, tribe revives a long-lost culture" - Boston
"Living in Two Worlds" - Boston Harbor Islands





"Nipmucs will appeal US tribal rejection" - Boston

"Nipmuc group adds to T&G Santa’s gifts" - Telegram & Gazette
{{authority control American Indian reservations in Massachusetts Geography of Worcester County, Massachusetts Native American tribes in Massachusetts Nipmuc Webster, Massachusetts