Narragansett

Narragansett, North American tribe of the Algonquian language family and of the Northeast culture area. The tribe originally occupied most of the territory along the western shore of Narragansett Bay, in Rhode Island, and claimed dominion over several smaller tribes of the interior and the neighboring islands, including Long Island, New York. They were one of the largest and strongest of the New England tribes. Their economy was based on corn as a staple food, fishing, and hunting. They were expert in canoeing and swimming. Tobacco was grown for smoking and for medicinal use. They lived by the sea in summer and inland in winter, building wigwams of skins, mats, or bark, supported on poles. In the latter part of the 17th century, the Narragansett took part in King Philip's War against the English colonists (see Philip). They suffered extremely heavy losses in the fighting and never regained their former strength. A number of the Narragansett people merged with other tribes; the rest intermarried with European settlers. In the 2000 U.S. census about 2,100 people identified themselves as Narragansett only; an additional 2,200 people reported being part Narragansett.

See also Native Americans of North America: Northeast.