The Narragansett tribe are an Algonquan Native American tribe from Rhode Island. In 1983 descendants of tribal members identified in an 1880 treaty gained federal recognition as the Narragansett Indian Tribe of Rhode Island and re-established sovereignty.
Name and language
The word Narragansett means, literally, "People of the Small
Point." Traditionally the tribe spoke the Narragansett language, a member of the Algonquian
language family. The language became almost entirely extinct during the Narragansetts' centuries of living within the larger
English-majority society, through forced assimilation.The tribe has begun language revival efforts, based on early-20th-century
books and manuscripts, and new teaching programs. The Narragansett spoke a "Y-dialect", similar enough to the "N-dialects" of the Massachusett and Wampanoag to be mutually intelligible. Other Y-dialects include the Shinnecock and Pequot languages spoken historically by tribes on Long Island and in Connecticut, respectively. In the 17th century, Roger Williams, a co-founder of Rhode Island, learned the tribe's language. He documented it in his 1643 work, A Key Into The Language Of America. Williams
gave the tribe's name as Nanhigganeuck.
American English has absorbed a number of loan
words from Narragansett and other closely related languages, such as Wampanoag
and Massachusett. Such words include quahog, moose, papoose, powwow, squash, and succotash.
Religion
The Narragansett were very high on mother nature and enviorment. They are a polytheistic and base their entire religion on nature and their Gods all had connection with nature. similar to the mythical Greeek Gods, but different in many different ways. The Narragansett were ruled by eight chiefs, each of whom had his own particular territory, but was subject to the head chief, who lived at their principal village, called Narragansett, about the site of Kingston. Of the religion of the aborigines of Rhode Island, Roger Williams wrote, Feb. 28, 1638 as follows:
“They have plenty of Gods or divine powers: the
Sunn, Moone, Fire, Water, Earth, the Deere, the Beare, &c. I brought home
lately from the Nanhiggonsicks the names of 38 of their Gods, all they could
remember.” Demson says: “They made no images; their divinities were ghosts; they
were extreme spiritualists. Every element and material and object had its ruling
spirit, called a god, or Maniton. These divinities seemed ever passionate and
engaged in war with each other; hence the passionate and warlike character of
the worshippers. They adored not intelligence and virtue, but power and revenge.
Every person was believed to be under the influence of some spirit, good or evil
that is, weak or strong to further the person’s desires. These spirits, or
Manitous, inhabited different material forms, or dwelt at times in them. The
symbolic signature employed by sachems and chiefs, in signing deeds,
represented, in many cases, the forms inhabited by their guardian or inspiring
spirits; these were bows, arrows, birds, fishes, beasts, reptiles, and the
like.”
Name and language
The word Narragansett means, literally, "People of the Small
Point." Traditionally the tribe spoke the Narragansett language, a member of the Algonquian
language family. The language became almost entirely extinct during the Narragansetts' centuries of living within the larger
English-majority society, through forced assimilation.The tribe has begun language revival efforts, based on early-20th-century
books and manuscripts, and new teaching programs. The Narragansett spoke a "Y-dialect", similar enough to the "N-dialects" of the Massachusett and Wampanoag to be mutually intelligible. Other Y-dialects include the Shinnecock and Pequot languages spoken historically by tribes on Long Island and in Connecticut, respectively. In the 17th century, Roger Williams, a co-founder of Rhode Island, learned the tribe's language. He documented it in his 1643 work, A Key Into The Language Of America. Williams
gave the tribe's name as Nanhigganeuck.
American English has absorbed a number of loan
words from Narragansett and other closely related languages, such as Wampanoag
and Massachusett. Such words include quahog, moose, papoose, powwow, squash, and succotash.
Religion
The Narragansett were very high on mother nature and enviorment. They are a polytheistic and base their entire religion on nature and their Gods all had connection with nature. similar to the mythical Greeek Gods, but different in many different ways. The Narragansett were ruled by eight chiefs, each of whom had his own particular territory, but was subject to the head chief, who lived at their principal village, called Narragansett, about the site of Kingston. Of the religion of the aborigines of Rhode Island, Roger Williams wrote, Feb. 28, 1638 as follows:
“They have plenty of Gods or divine powers: the
Sunn, Moone, Fire, Water, Earth, the Deere, the Beare, &c. I brought home
lately from the Nanhiggonsicks the names of 38 of their Gods, all they could
remember.” Demson says: “They made no images; their divinities were ghosts; they
were extreme spiritualists. Every element and material and object had its ruling
spirit, called a god, or Maniton. These divinities seemed ever passionate and
engaged in war with each other; hence the passionate and warlike character of
the worshippers. They adored not intelligence and virtue, but power and revenge.
Every person was believed to be under the influence of some spirit, good or evil
that is, weak or strong to further the person’s desires. These spirits, or
Manitous, inhabited different material forms, or dwelt at times in them. The
symbolic signature employed by sachems and chiefs, in signing deeds,
represented, in many cases, the forms inhabited by their guardian or inspiring
spirits; these were bows, arrows, birds, fishes, beasts, reptiles, and the
like.”