Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation
| Total population | |
|---|---|
|
(Enrolled members: 100 ) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States Connecticut
|
|
| Languages | |
| English, formerly Paugussett | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan |
(Enrolled members:
The Golden Hill Paugussett are a state-recognized Native American tribe in Connecticut.
They claim descent from the historic Paugusset people, who historically occupied much of western Connecticut prior to the arrival of European colonists. They are among the five tribes recognized by the state. They were denied federal recognition in 2004.
The 100-member tribe lives in Colchester, Connecticut, where it has a 106-acre (0.43 km2) reservation. It also has a 1⁄4-acre (0.0010 km2) reserve in the Nichols section of Trumbull, Connecticut.
In 2009, a state court dismissed a challenge to the tribe's status as Indians, refusing to eject members of the Golden Hill Paugussett Tribe and their chief from reservations in Trumbull and Colchester.
While the history of the Paugusset people began long before the European encounter, the early written records are European accounts. They are one of the numerous Algonquian-speaking nations who emerged in the coastal areas of the Atlantic. Historically, they occupied a region from present-day Norwalk to West Haven, and from Long Island Sound inland for as far as they could navigate by canoe on the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers.
The tribe was made up of four primary sub-groups, the Paugussett Proper in what is present-day Milford, Derby and Shelton; the Pequonnock, along the coast; the Pootatuck in Newtown, Woodbury and Southbury; and the Weantinock in New Milford. They had a farming and fishing culture. The women cultivated varieties of staple crops: corn, beans, and squash, and tobacco, which was used for ritual purposes. The men fished in both fresh and saltwater. The size of midden shell heaps along the coast and the amount of cleared land attested to both a long period of occupation and a high degree of social organization among the people.
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Wikipedia