Visit the Mashantucket Pequot Museum on the grounds of the Foxwoods Casino. The Pequot Nation took some of the casino profits and built a museum dedicated to retelling the history and culture of their people. The Pequot were farmers, fishermen, and gatherers. They had a complex society and had learned to live with Mother Earth in harmony with each other. When the Dutch arrived in 1608, they helped them survive the harsh winters. In exchange, the Dutch traded iron products for beaver fur and wampumoag, which are beads made from seashells. As trade flourished, the tribe moved further north, where the beaver was more abundant and traded with the northern tribes. When the British arrived, they wanted to be included in this lucrative beaver fur trade. That’s when the problems started. In 1638, the Pequot Nation was decimated and its members given over to slavery and servitude. Only a few escaped to survive. In 1983 the Federal Government recognized the existence of the Mashantuck Pequot Nation. Today they are driving, having one of the largest casinos in the world. Their profits, managed by the tribal council, are used to improve physical and social services among the tribe and even outreach programs to other Native American groups. What took thirty years to destroy took only twenty years of hard work to restore.

Even if you spend more than six hours in the museum, you won’t be able to see everything. The entry includes interactive videos on various aspects of their lives. There is a life-size village with audio descriptions at over twenty-five different sites showing various aspects of life in the Pequot home. A movie shown on a wrap-around screen depicts the Pequot Wars and the destruction of the people. Outside is a two-acre 1780 Pequot farm with orchards and herb gardens and other plants, which the tribe used in their daily lives.