Hammonasset people

The Hammonasset people were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands whose territory was along the west bank of the Connecticut River to the Hammonasset River in Connecticut.

Hammonasset people

The Hammonasset River was part of the territory of the Hammonassett people
Total population
merged into Tunxis people in the mid-18th century[1]
Regions with significant populations
Connecticut, U.S.
Languages
Algonquian language
Religion
Indigenous religion
Related ethnic groups
Quinnipiac, Tunxis

Language

The Hammonasset spoke an Algonquian language.

Culture

In their society, villages were organized by patrilineal clans with names appointed by animal totems.^[2] The indigenous people who settled in the area named it Hammonasset, which roughly translates to “where we dig the ground.”^[3]

Economy and subsistence

They subsisted by fishing and hunting, and raised corn, beans, and squash.^[4] The Hammonasset River was one of the few to have salmon runs.^[5]

History

17th century

The first European colonists arrived in their territory area in 1638.^[1]

They were once a band of Quinnipiac people, who were recorded living near Guilford, Connecticut. Their leader was named Sebequnash, or "The Man Who Weeps."^[6]

In 1730, the band's population was 250 to 300 people. By 1774, they were reduced to only 38 people. They moved to Farmington, Connecticut, to live among the Tunxis in 1768.^[1]