The Eastern Pequot

Pequot

Pequot people are a tribe of Native Americans who, in the 17th century, inhabited much of what is now Connecticut. They were of the Algonquian language family. The Pequot War and Mystic massacre reduced the Pequot's sociopolitical influence in southern New England...

 Tribal Nation is a Native American

Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...

 group based in southeastern Connecticut

Connecticut

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. They, along with the Schaghticoke

Schaghticoke (tribe)

The Schaghticoke are a Native American tribe of the Eastern Woodlands consisting of descendants of Mahican , Potatuck , Weantinock, Tunxis, Podunk, and other people indigenous to what is now Connecticut, New York, and Massachusetts. They amalgamated after encroachment of white settlers on their...

, are trying to regain federal recognition from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Federal recognition was revoked in October 2005 following legal challenges by the state of Connecticut. BIA recognition was originally granted in 2002 after approval of a merger between two groups, the Paucatuck Eastern Pequots and the Eastern Pequots, as the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation.

Sources

• "Schaghticoke and Eastern Pequot decisions reversed", Indian Country Today
• "Easterns Welcome Union Membership for Possible Casino", The Westerly Sun