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CONNECTICUT PAUGAUSSETT INDIANS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CT Archives The Web

 

 

THE HISTORY OF STRATFORD

SAMUEL ORCUTT

 

Golden Hill Indians
The Housatonic
The Wepawaug
Cupheags and Pequannock
Weantinock
Goodyear's Island
Indian Slaves
Indian Remnants
Indian Troubles
New Indian Papers

 

THE HISTORY OF STRATFORD

Wm. Howard Wilcoxson

 

Stratford Indians

Trouble with the Indians

Establishing Title to the Land

Indian Deeds and Relics

White Hills Purchase

 

FORREST MORGAN

Lifestyles, Government, Religion and War
Indian Titles and Mohegan Land Troubles
Sowheag, Uncas, and Miantonomo
Owenoco, the Son of Uncas

 

 

THE  HOUSATONIC

CHARD POWERS SMITH

 

The Promised Land
Heathen in the Land
The Lord's Scouts

The Land and The Lord

      The Next Seven Tribes

 

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON

 

Connecticut Indian History

    The Pequot War

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Trumbull

The History of Stratford

Religion

 With respect to religion and morals, The Indians in New England were in the most deplorable condition. They believed that there was a great SPIRIT, or GOD, whom they call KITCHTAN. They imagined that he dwelt far away in the southwest, and that he was a good GOD. But they worshipped a great variety of gods. They paid homage to the fire and water, thunder and lightning, and to whatever they imagine to be superior to themselves, or capable of doing them an injury. They paid their principle homage to Hobbamocko. They imagined that he was an evil spirit and did the mischief; and so, from fear, they worshipped him, to keep him in good humour. They appeared to have no idea of a sabbath, and not to regard any particular day more than another. But in times of uncommon distress, by reason of pestilence, war, or famine, and upon occasion of great victories and triumph, and after the in gatherings of the fruits, they assembled in great numbers, for the celebration of their superstitious rites. The whole country, men, women and children, came together upon these solemnities. The manner of their devotion was, to kindle large fires in their wigwams, or more commonly in the open fields, and to sing and dance round them in a wild and violent manner. Sometimes they would all shout aloud, with the most antic and hideous notes. They made rattles of shells, which they shook, in a wild and violent manner, to fill up the confused noise.     After the English settled in Connecticut, and they could purchase kettles of brass, they used to strain skins over them, and beat upon them, to augment their wretched music. They often continued these wild and tumultuous exercises incessantly, for four or five hours, until they were worn down and spent with fatigue. Their priests, or powwaws, led in these exercises. They were dressed in the most odd and surprising manner, with the skins of odious and frightful creatures about their heads, faces, arms, and bodies. They painted themselves in the most ugly forms which could be devised. They sometimes sang, and then broke forth into strong invocations, with starts, and strange motions and passions. When these paused, the other Indians groaned, making wild and doleful sounds. At these times, they sacrificed their skins, Indian money, and the best of their treasures. These were taken by the powwaws, and all cast into the fires and consumed together. After the English came into the country, and they had hatchets and kettles, they sacrificed these in the same manner. The English were also persuaded, that they, sometimes, sacrificed their children, as well as their most valuable commodities. No Indians in Connecticut were more noted for these superstitions than those of Wopowage and Machemoodus. Milford people observing an Indian child, nearly at one of these times of their devotion, dressed in an extraordinary manner, with all kinds of Indian finery, had the curiosity to inquire what could be the reason. The Indians answered, that it was to be sacrificed, and the people supposed that it was given to the devil. The evil spirit, which the New-England Indians called Hobbamocko, the Virginia Indians called Okee. So deluded were these unhappy people, that they believed these barbarous sacrifices to be absolutely necessary. They imagined that, unless they appeased and conciliated their gods in this manner, they would neither suffer them to have peace, nor harvests, fish, venison, fat bears, nor turkeys; but would visit them with a general destruction.

 

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THE HISTORY OF CONNECTICUT

BENJAMIN TRUMBULL

 

The Perfect Savages

Government

Language

Religion

Marriage

Wampum

Red Ochre

New Haven Colony

 

ALEXANDER JOHNSTON

Connecticut Indian History

The Pequot War

SOUTHPORT SWAMP

Great Swamp Fight

Incident at Mill River

Colonial History of Pequot Swamp

 

GUIDE TO PUTNAM MEMORIAL CAMP

COLONIAL INDIAN ARCHIVES

 

Stratford Colonial Land Deeds

Fairfield Colonial Land Deeds

Derby Colonial Land Deeds

 

 

THE HISTORY OF GUILFORD

Hon. Ralph D. Smith

 

 

A HISTORY OF THE TOWNS

OF HADDAM AND EAST HADDAM

David D. Fields

 

EARLY NEW HAVEN

         Sarah Day Woodward

 

Winthrop’s Journal

 

 

 

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