Nipmucs and Pocumtucks

Quinnitukqut means “long river” in our language. I think about our relatives, the Pocumtuck People, often. The mid-section of the Connecticut River Valley was full of life when they lived within it. I think about how the Pocumtuck and the Agawam and the Nonotuck and all their family are no more. They were murdered. They were stolen. They were driven out. All these communities had … Continue reading Nipmucs and Pocumtucks

Battle of Great Falls or Massacre at Peskeompskut

Death came in the early morning hours on May 19, 1676. Hundreds of Native families were gathered under the Falls on the for the annual fish run. In May and June of each year, salmon, shad, eel, lamprey and herring made their journey upstream to spawn. The Connecticut River was thick with fish, making it an ideal time to gather food for the entire year. … Continue reading Battle of Great Falls or Massacre at Peskeompskut