Wangunk facts for kids

The Wangunk or Wongunk people were an Indigenous group from central Connecticut. They had important settlements in areas that are now Portland, Middletown, and Wethersfield. They also used land in other parts of what became Middlesex and Hartford counties. Some people called the Wangunk the Mattabessett, but "Wangunk" is the name used by experts and their descendants today.

Before Europeans arrived, the Wangunk spoke Quiripi. This language is part of the larger Algonquian language family. They had strong ties with other Algonquian nations living along the Atlantic coast and rivers. Today, some people identify as having Wangunk ancestors. However, there is no official Wangunk group recognized by the state or federal government.

Wangunk Lands

The Wangunk people lived in and near what are now Middletown, Haddam, and Portland, Connecticut. When English settlers first arrived, the Wangunk were living around Hartford and Wethersfield. But they were pushed out by the settlers. They then moved to the land around a bend in the Connecticut River.

Before the English came, there were at least six villages in the area. These were on both sides of the river. The English often called the Wangunk by the name of their main village, Mattabassett, which was near present-day Middletown. Other villages included Pocowset (Portland) and Cockaponet (Haddam). The Wangunk were also known as "the River People." This was because they lived in the rich Connecticut River valley.

When the English built Middletown on the west side of the river, most Wangunk reservation land was on the east side. A small piece was on the west side, near where Indian Hill Cemetery is today. As settlers wanted more land, the Wangunk sold parts of their territory. Some joined nearby tribes like the Tunxis. Others moved to new Christian Indian communities in central New York. Later, they moved to the Great Lakes area, settling in Wisconsin. Some even went to Indian Territory, which is now part of Oklahoma.

Wangunk History

Life Before Europeans

Like other Algonquian groups, the Wangunk were led by a person called a sachem. This is what English records tell us. Many Algonquian groups passed down family lines and property through the mother's side. This is called a matrilineal kinship system. Children were part of their mother's family and clan. Women often shared power and duties within the tribe. The Wangunk likely followed this system too.

They lived by the seasons, using what the land offered. Experts believe they moved between two villages each year. One village was for winter and spring, and another for summer and fall.

First European Contacts

The Wangunk first met Europeans in 1614. These were traders from the Dutch East India Company. The Wangunk's land near the Connecticut River was good for fur trading. This led to fights with the Pequot tribe over the area. The Wangunk teamed up with the Narragansett and sought help from English settlers. This was to protect themselves from the Pequot.

Alliances may have changed when the Pequot War started in 1636. Some old records say that Wangunk sachem Sequassen helped the Pequot attack Wethersfield. He lived there at the time. Around the same time, Sowheage moved to Mattabesett, which later became Middletown. This movement and the confusion of the war might be why Middletown was founded later, in 1650. During this time, Native people and settlers in Middletown made many land deals. These led to a written agreement for a reservation in 1673.

The Wangunk and settlers had different ideas about land. Europeans believed in owning land individually and "improving" it. Settlers often did not see Native communal farming as "improvement." The Wangunk shared the land. No single person or group fully owned a piece of land, so it could not be bought or sold. English law did not understand Native ways of owning land. So, to keep their lands, the Wangunk worked within the European system, at least for legal papers.

Early Reservation Years

After Middletown was set up in 1650, Connecticut's government set aside about 350 acres for the Wangunk. This land was on the east side of the Connecticut River. It was for the descendants of Wangunk sachem Sowheage and the tribe. The reservation was officially created in 1673. Thirteen of Sowheage's heirs signed a paper creating two areas. One was 50 acres at Indian Hill, and another 250 acres further inland. This land was meant to belong to Wangunk heirs forever. In Wangunk Meadow, near the reservation, individual Wangunk families owned small plots of land.

Wangunk land ownership stayed mostly communal even on the reservation. Those who signed land deals did not always "own" the land. So, other Wangunk often argued about sales. Most Wangunk at this time could not read English papers. The reservation was bad for the Wangunk's economy. They needed more land for their traditional farming and hunting. A lack of ways to make money led to poverty and debt. Some Wangunk became indentured servants to English colonists during this time.

King Philip's War began in 1675. It was a big Native American resistance movement. The Wangunk and many other tribes stayed neutral. This might have been forced. The English passed laws limiting Native economic chances and access to weapons. They also demanded hostages from tribes.

During and after King Philip's War, some Wangunk sold land to colonists. This was often to pay debts. The English population in Middletown grew. In the late 1600s, colonists began building homes on Wangunk Meadows. In 1714, these settlers formed their own community. By 1713, the Wangunk were forced to leave the Mattabessett part of the reservation. This area was in central Middletown.

Later Reservation Years

Settlers moved onto Native land even faster after 1732. Some Wangunk started becoming Christians. This led them to move to Christian communities. In 1746, settlers asked for a new church building. They were given land on the Wangunk reservation. This church helped settlers claim more reservation land. They said the Wangunk were not using the land properly.

In 1757, Wangunk Richard Ranney, who lived away from the reservation, was given 10 acres of land. Settlers asked twice more to buy the reservation lands. In 1762, a group of Wangunk men asked to sell the entire reservation. A committee approved this, saying only women and children were left on the reservation. The remaining Wangunk could not support themselves. So, part of the land sale went to pay their debts. During this time, some Wangunk men served in the French and Indian War to find work. In 1767, the settler community officially became the town of Chatham (later Portland).

After the Reservation

The last piece of Wangunk reservation land was sold between 1772 and 1784. An elderly widow named Mary Cushoy lived there with three children. Town leaders convinced her to sell the reservation around 1771. They said they had paid to support her family and other Wangunk. They paid themselves back by selling the land.

In the 1700s, many Wangunk moved away from the reservation. Some married members of other Native tribes, like the Quinnipiac and Mohegan. Some Wangunk lived to old age and had children on the Mohegan reservation. Some Wangunk also fought in the Revolutionary War.

Connecticut historian John William De Forest wrote that after the last Wangunk lands were sold, the Wangunk people seemed to have left the area. He said this ended their "national existence."

Other Wangunk joined the Farmington Indians in Connecticut. This group formed when the Tunxis invited other Native Americans to live on their reservation. The Farmington Indians were Christian. They later moved to Oneida, New York, and were given land on the Oneida Reservation. Later, as more European Americans moved in, they moved again to Brotherton, Wisconsin. Many Wangunk moved to Farmington and joined these later moves. Even with the distance, the Wangunk kept their identity. They signed land deeds and returned to Middletown for important events.

Bette Nepash, also known as Old Betty, was a Wangunk woman. She held yearly tribal gatherings until the 1810s. These gatherings helped keep the Wangunk connection to the region alive. After Nepash died, Jonathan Palmer was called the last Indian in Middletown when he died in 1813. But the Palmer family line continues today. Many members still live in Middlesex County.

Important Wangunk People

• Sowheage

When colonists first came to the Connecticut River Valley, Sowheage was the main sachem. He led all the Wangunk territory. He moved his main home to Mattabessett after conflicts with the English. Sowheage was linked to the Pequot War. He encouraged the Pequot to attack colonists and hid Pequot warriors. Sowheage died around 1649. He had many children who became leaders after him.

His children included Montowese, a leader among the Quinnipiac and Wangunk. Another son, Sequassen, was sachem of Suckiog (Hartford). He had a difficult relationship with the colonists. He also challenged the Mohegan leader Uncas for power. Sowheage's son Turramuggus (born 1623) became a leader in the Wethersfield area. He was involved in several large land deals with the English. Turramuggus was held in a prison during King Philip's War. He likely died before 1704.

His son Peetoosh became a sachem after him, but not much was written about Peetoosh. Sowheage also had another son, Seacutt, and three daughters: Wawarme (also known as Wawaloam), Towwehashque, and Sepunnamoe.

• Towwehashque

Towwehashque (died around 1693) was the sister of Turramuggus. She was a female leader, called a Saunks Squaw, over Haddam and its area. Towwehashque is known for selling Wangunk meadowland in 1691. She tried to sell land in 1662, but that deal was canceled.

Her daughter Pampenum became responsible for the land in 1697. Pampenum (died 1704) tried to keep control of her land for future Wangunk generations. She made two wills, naming Cheehums as her successor. She also said her descendants should not sell the land to non-Indians. This land was eventually sold in the late 1700s. But Pampenum is remembered for trying to keep her lands using the colonial court system.

• Robin

Robin (also called Robbins or Robins) might have been another son of Sowheage, but this is not certain. He was married to the daughter of Chiamugg. In the 1660s, Robin lived in Wethersfield. In 1704, Robin inherited money from Sarah Hopewell, a Native woman. Robin is listed as one of the "heirs and descendents of Sowheag" in the 1673 deed that set aside land for the Wangunk.

Robin's son, "Old Robin," was a medicine man. The English called him "Doctor" because he and his family could heal a skin disease called scrofula. Doctor "Old" Robin died in 1757 and is buried in Hartford. Many of his descendants appear in old records. For example, his son Samuel Robin signed a paper in 1762. He and other Native people wanted to sell their tribal lands because of pressure from colonists.

• Richard Ranney

Richard Ranney was born on September 8, 1732. His mother was a daughter of Doctor Robin. He likely died after 1775. He was raised by a settler family in Newtown. They raised him as a Christian and taught him English. He also learned to be a carpenter. He probably worked for the family as an indentured servant. In 1756, Ranney asked to buy 10 acres of Wangunk land. His request was granted in 1758. After that, he is not in Wangunk records until 1775. Then, he joined a company of Native American soldiers in the French and Indian War.

• Onepenny Family

The name Onepenny first appeared on a land deed in 1660. Sarah Onepenny the Elder (died 1713) was the daughter of Onepenny and Sepunnamoe. Sarah married Pewampskin. They had a daughter, Sarah Onepenny the Younger (died 1728), and three sons: Cushoy, Nannamaroos, and Siana.

Cushoy was the son of Sarah Onepenny the Elder. Colonists saw Cushoy as the leader of the Wangunk tribe from 1713 until his death in 1763. This caused family arguments about who should be the next leader. Cushoy's wife, Asquasuttock, called herself a "native sunksquaw." She was the granddaughter of a Narragansett leader.

In 1728, colonists said Cushoy spoke "on behalf of the other Indians." In 1756, Middletown leaders told the government that Cushoy had no family to help him. They said he would have starved without their help. They claimed they paid for his care and wanted to be paid back by selling land. This request was denied, but the leaders eventually got the land. Cushoy, his wife Asquasuttock, and his sons, Ben and Tom, all died from illnesses.

Sarah Onepenny the Younger was the daughter of Sarah Onepenny the Elder. She married a man named Kickemus. She signed a deed that gave hundreds of acres of land to Wethersfield. She had three sons and one nephew. She left her entire property to her nephew Scipio Twoshoes in 1727. The land she gave was called Wongog.

• Jonathan Palmer

Jonathan Palmer (died 1819) was a Wangunk man who lived in East Hampton. His descendants still live there. In 1818, a doctor wanted a human skeleton for his students. He offered Jonathan "a pint of rum every month" if he could have his body after death. Jonathan died in 1819. The doctor came to claim the body. Even though Palmer's family protested, the doctor took the body. Palmer's skeleton was later moved to different universities and museums. Today, the remains are lost.

Wangunk Landmarks

• Lake Pocotopaug

Lake Pocotopaug is a place often mentioned in stories about the Wangunk people. They used it for fishing and hunting. It is in what is now East Hampton and is about 9 miles around. Many arrowheads have been found along its banks. The Wangunk did not write down what the lake meant to them. But English settlers told many "Indian stories" about the lake.

• Indian Hill Cemetery

During the Reservation period, the land that became Indian Hill Cemetery was part of the first Wangunk reservation. In the mid-1800s, the English residents created the cemetery for themselves. This was partly to change the idea that Indian Hill was important to Wangunk life. The cemetery gates have an image of a "noble savage." This is one of the only signs of the land's history.

• Wangunk Meadows

Wangunk Meadows was an area the Wangunk continued to live in after English settlers arrived in 1650. Records show the land was fertile, and the Wangunk grew corn there. Today, the meadowland is between the Connecticut River and Route 17. It has both hilly and low areas. Settlers often wanted to buy small parts of this land.

• Deer Island

Haddam Island State Park, once called Deer Island and Wangunk Island, was part of the Wangunk reservation. It remained so until the late 1700s.

Language

The Wangunk spoke the Quiripi language, which is part of the Algonquian languages family. They also learned English.

Religion

Algonquian Traditions

The Wangunk had their own traditional spiritual beliefs, like other Algonquian peoples.

Efforts to Convert

Throughout colonial New England, people tried to convert Native populations to Christianity. This was done by individuals and town governments. Becoming Christian often meant giving up Wangunk language, culture, and family traditions. A school was started for Wangunk children in 1734. It aimed to teach Christian ideas and the English language. But the school closed after four months because it did not have enough money.

Descendants Today

Some people today are documented as Wangunk descendants in Connecticut. This includes Gary O'Neil, who traces his Wangunk family through his father. He is a potter and retired art teacher. He is also the family historian for the remaining Wangunk in Middlesex County. He has been a leader and organizer for the Wangunk since the 1970s. He and his daughter Kyle have shown art that honors their Wangunk heritage.

In 2003, Van Thomas Green, who said he was a Wangunk descendant, filed a lawsuit. He claimed that Native burial grounds had been disrespected. He also said that tribal lands were wrongly transferred. He asked for money and for his family to be recognized as a tribe. The court dismissed the case. It ruled that he could not show a direct link between his claims and the actions of the people he sued.

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