10/18/2021
Today marks a very important day in our Tribe’s history: the 38th Anniversary of our Federal Recognition.
On October 18, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Claims Settlement Act, which officially acknowledged the formal government-to-government relationship between our Tribe and the federal government, granting us Federal Recognition and providing us the sovereign authority to manage our Tribal Nation.
The settlement with the federal government was based on the fact that the state of Connecticut had illegally sold our lands. In 1854-1855, upwards of 800 acres of Mashantucket Reservation land was sold by a Connecticut judge without either the Tribe’s consent or the approval of the federal government, both of which was required by the Nonintercourse Act of 1790. Only 214 acres—mostly wetlands—remained for the Tribe, which was impossible for planning adequate community housing or sustainable economic development.
Our Tribe’s land claims effort was led by former Tribal Chairman Richard “Skip” Hayward along with assistance from the Native American Rights Fund. Chairman Hayward appeared before the U.S. Senate Hearing before the Select Committee on Indian Affairs on July 14, 1982. The following is an excerpt of Mr. Hayward’s testimony:
“My people have never consented to the forced sales of their land, nor has the passing of years diminished our sense of injustice. Since colonial times, the State of Connecticut had assumed the role of guardian over my people. We did not seek this relationship, which has so often been manipulated to our disadvantage. Many times, we have sought legal counsel only to be told that we could not obtain legal assistance because we could not afford the attorneys’ fees.
In 1855, the State of Connecticut sold all but approximately 200 acres of our Reservation. In vain, we protested that the sales were contrary to federal law and violated our rights under the U.S. Constitution. Passage of this Act will not only settle the Tribe’s land claims once and for all but will enable the Tribe to plan for its overall land base and economic development.
It was the desire of our predecessors that we hold and maintain the land. It is the desire of the Mashantucket Pequot people to continue to exist on its land as a tribe and to be self-governing, maintaining a good standard of living for its people, and become self-determining and self-sufficient through its economic development projects.”
Kutaputuyumuw to Skip and that generation of Pequots for their vision and courage to pursue our ability to self-govern and reclaim the land that was rightfully ours. Your efforts led to one of the greatest resurgences of a people in modern history and built a foundation for us all to stand upon today.
We also thank the many generations of Pequots who came before them and instilled in us all the warrior spirit and our “Pequot Perseverance”. It is that spirit that guides us to realize that when we work hard together, nothing is ever impossible.
