Native Americans - Rhode Island

Part 8 of an ongoing series on the history of Native American Territory as told through maps. This series is tagged as "Native American Map Series". It is recommended to visit all the Further Info links listed below for further study.

Native Americans - Rhode Island

The lands of Rhode Island in the 1600s were mainly inhabited by three Native American tribes. To the east of the Narragansett Bay and the Providence River were the Wampanoags. On the south coast were the Eastern Niantics. The majority of Rhode Island was occupied by the Narragansetts.

The Narragansetts, in 1600, numbered around 4,000. Roger Williams settled among them and, through their favor, was able to found what became the Rhode Island colony in Providence. Although the colonists had peaceful relations with the Narragansetts, by 1675, the number of colonists had grown, pushing the Native Americans to the West. Indian land was seized at fwrfare erupted. Outnumbered and subsequently defeated, the power of the Native American tribes of southern New England was destroyed.

Many male Native American survivors were sold into slavery in the West Indies, while women and children were enslaved in New England. Remaining Narragansetts left the area and now the remainder of the tribe is living near Charlestown. Today, the Narragansetts are the only federally recognized Native American tribe in Rhode Island. Sourced from Native Americans shaped Rhode Island’s history

The original inhabitants of the area that is now Rhode Island: 

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Today

The Naragansetts lost control of much of their tribal lands during the  late 19th century but they kept a group identity. The tribe incorporated in 1900 and they regained 1,800 acres of their land in 1978, finally gaining federal recognition as a tribe in 1983. According to tribal rolls, there are approximately 2,400 members of the Narragansett Tribe today. Google Map of Reservation

Further Info

• History of Rhode Island’s Five Indigenous Tribes
• Native American tribes in Rhode Island (Wikipedia)
• Native American Tribes of Rhode Island
• Native Americans (Gov't)
• Indigenous Peoples of Rhode Island