Whose Land Do We Live On? Indigenous Peoples Of NWCT

The recent history of the Tribe has been marked by oppression.

"From 1925 to 1972, Connecticut intensified a policy of detribalization and termination, making it extremely difficult for tribal members to live and gather on the Reservation. Tribal members were forced out, while those wanting to return home were refused permission. Except for farming, no business could be transacted and no buildings or improvements could be added without the written consent of the state. This anti-Indian policy is underscored by the fact that there were no public powwows on the Reservation between 1941 and 1972. All in all, tribal members recall, the Reservation was a “difficult place to live and survive” during this century." [1]

In 2014, the remains of several natives were unearthed due to residential construction. These remains date back to the mid-17th century. According to the tribe's website, "Thanks to Nick Bellantoni, retired Connecticut State Archeologist, the remains were returned to our land on November 2, 2014 during a ceremony led by Ed Sarabia. Many were in attendance to see our ancestors reunited with Mother Earth."

Today, the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation is currently in the midst of an ongoing land dispute and and quest for returned federal recognition.

In 2004 the tribe was awarded federal recognition, only to have it rescinded in 2005. According to the Tribe's website, "The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has approved only 16 of the 81 tribes that have submitted complete applications for federal tribal acknowledgement. But only two tribes have earned federal acknowledgement only to have it rescinded: Connecticut’s Schaghticoke and Eastern Pequot tribes. The Schaghticoke Tribal Nation’s petition for recognition was “among the best and most thoroughly researched petitions ever reviewed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs” according to the sworn affidavit of former BIA Assistant Secretary Aurene Martin.

What led the Department of the Interior to disregard 45,000 pages of documentation, change its position, and decline to acknowledge the Schaghticoke as a tribe? A highly politicized dispute has resulted in the Schaghticoke having to endure what the Manataka American Indian Council calls “the ultimate insult – having to prove they are indeed descendants of this continent’s original inhabitants in order to keep from being obliterated from the pages of modern history.”

Schaghticoke Tribal Nation Chief Richard Velky calls it “cultural genocide.” [2]

To learn more about the Schaghticoke Tribe, check out this interview with Chief Velky or visit their website.