Mohegan became a powerful tribe in New England during colonial times. They lived along the Thames River in Connecticut, and the name Mohegan refers to the tides of the Thames near the Connecticut coast. The Mohegan are often confused with the Mohican, a tribe invented by the American writer James Fenimore Cooper in his novel The Last of the Mohicans.
The Mohegan formed part of the Pequot tribe until the Pequot War broke out in New England in 1637. The Mohegan then helped the New England colonists destroy the Pequot. The Mohegan chief, Uncas, remained friendly with the colonists and helped them in other conflicts. In turn, the colonists supported the Mohegan in their disagreements with other tribes.
During the 1700’s, white settlers in Connecticut gradually forced the Mohegan off much of their land. Large numbers of Mohegan also died from diseases introduced by whites. In 1775, many of the remaining Mohegan joined a mixed group of Christian Native Americans in a community in New York called Brotherton. In the 1820’s, the federal government moved these groups to Wisconsin. Today, their descendants live on the Stockbridge Reservation in northeastern Wisconsin. Some descendants of the Mohegan still live in Ledyard and North Stonington, Connecticut.
See also Uncas .
