Working with Indigenous Communities

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CT Humanities Indigenous Values Statement

CTH is committed to supporting, partnering, and collaborating with the five State and Federally recognized tribes (hereafter referred to as “the five Tribes”) on initiatives important to their communities. We will include Indigenous voices and perspectives in board governance, through partnerships, grantmaking, projects, and more.

Tribal Self-Determination and Sovereignty
We respect the self-determination and sovereignty of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribal Nation, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, the Mohegan Tribe, and the Schaghticoke, all of which have a continuity of legal and political relationship with the State (and preceding colony) of Connecticut extending back into the 17th century.

Indigenous Resilience
Connecticut is the original homelands of many Indigenous people, including the five Tribes. When telling the many stories of Connecticut, it is important to work with the five Tribes. CT Humanities understands that genocide, dispossession, dislocation, enslavement/servitude, colonization, and termination are part of the complicated and nuanced history of the State of Connecticut. CT Humanities also understands that the five Tribes are active, vibrant, and resilient communities.

Indigenous perspectives
Indigenous peoples and their traditional knowledges, systems of governance and politics, cultural expressions, voices, and perspectives are an integral component of Connecticut’s past, present, and future. CT Humanities is committed to sharing, reckoning with, and acknowledging these stories of resurgence and reclamation.

Relationship building
Relationship building is at the heart of our work and CT Humanities is committed to engaging with Indigenous partners and communities. We encourage and support making connections with the citizens, businesses, and cultural organizations of the five Tribes.

Resources

It is essential to center Indigenous perspectives in telling Indigenous stories. The following resources may be helpful to you if you are considering developing a project about Indigenous communities: 

Background Information

Guidance from Museums and Other Institutions

Educational Resources

Global Indigenous Tools

FAQs

Who are the Tribes recognized by the State of Connecticut? What does state and federal recognition mean?

There are five Tribes recognized by CT: Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, Golden Hill Paugussett Tribal Nation, Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Mohegan Tribe, and the Schaghticoke. The Mashantucket Pequot Trial Nation and Mohegan Tribe are also recognized by the federal government. 

State recognition means that Connecticut recognizes the self-determination and sovereignty tribes have over “(1) determining their membership and residency on their reservations, (2) determining the tribal form of government and leadership, (3) regulating trade and commerce on the reservation, and (4) making contracts” (CGA Document 2002-R-0072). 

On federal recognition: 

A federally recognized tribe is an American Indian or Alaska Native tribal entity that is recognized as having a government-to-government relationship with the United States, with the responsibilities, powers, limitations, and obligations attached to that designation, and is eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 

Furthermore, federally recognized tribes are recognized as possessing certain inherent rights of self-government (i.e., tribal sovereignty) and are entitled to receive certain federal benefits, services, and protections because of their special relationship with the United States.  At present, there are 574 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages. (https://www.bia.gov/faqs/what-federally-recognized-tribe)  

Learn more about the five state recognized tribes in CT: 

We reached out to a Tribe to work with us on a project related to their history/culture but nobody was available. Will CTH fund a project without the Tribe's participation, even if the Indigenous history/culture portion of our project is small and well-researched?

No. Silence matters and relationships take time. 

CTH does not advise moving forward on a project about Indigenous history/culture without perspectives from the Tribal community. The project should be something the Tribal communities want that returns to and/or benefits/contributes to them. Without input from the Tribal community, it is not a complete project. 

We have a project related to Indigenous history/cultures and would like the participation of someone from a Tribe related to this subject. Who should we reach out to?

Begin by familiarizing yourself with Tribal histories, cultures, and contemporary social and political economies in Connecticut. Visit the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center or Tantaquidgeon Museum. Attend a powwow or a tribal-led program. There are also public facing organizations, programs, or events with Native education staff and participants. 

Consistently show up to public events and establish genuine relationships. Share your interests but keep in mind that there is a long history of extractive relationships with Tribes and Tribal members. Begin the conversation with the desire/needs of the the Tribal community and then think about how your organization could support the self-determination and sovereignty of the Tribe(s). 

There are additional online resources in the Resources section above. 

The story we want to tell through our project does not involve one of the five CT state or federally recognized Tribes. Will CTH fund a project about another state or federally recognized Tribal Nation/Community?

The short answer is possibly. The five Tribes are stewards of the history of Indigenous peoples in what is now the state of Connecticut, but there are some scenarios CTH may consider funding, such as:  

A) Historically, Tribes of Connecticut (and their citizens) have experienced warfare, genocide, enslavement/indentured servitude and policies of dispossession, religious conversion, education, removal, and much more.  As a result, there are relatives of Tribes in CT that live across state lines and tribes in other states with historical homelands in Connecticut (e.g., Lenape, Brothertown, Mohican).

B) Since geopolitical boundaries today don’t align with Tribal ancestral territories, there are Tribes in adjoining states that have homelands in Connecticut (e.g., Nipmuc, Narragansett).

C) Native people are also not static; they travel/ed, serve/d in the military, relocate/d from their homelands for employment, or their ancestors and their belongings were collected by Connecticut museums, etc.

Tribes should be telling their own stories. So, in the cases described above, work with the appropriate recognized Tribes in other states and make sure Tribal communities in CT are aware of the project.

What if someone identifies as a Native person from Connecticut (but is not) or claims Tribal citizenship or Tribal identity not recognized by the state or other tribes?

There are tribes that are a part of CT’s history but no longer exist or are not recognized by the state or other Tribes as a Tribal Nation, such as the Wangunk and Nehantic/Niantic tribes. CTH recommends that you reach out to the CT Native American Heritage Advisory Council (NAHAC) for guidance. 

FAQ responses were developed by CTH board and staff in collaboration and consultation with Indigenous partners.

Updated May 22, 2025.

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