Mashantucket Pequots
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Enrolled members: 1,003) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| United States (Connecticut) | |
| Languages | |
| English, formerly Pequot | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Mohegan and Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation |
Coordinates: 41°27′58″N 71°58′28″W / 41.46611°N 71.97444°W
The Mashantucket Pequot are a federally recognized Native American nation in the state of Connecticut. They are descended from the Pequot people, an Algonquian-language tribe that dominated the southern New England coastal areas. Within their reservation in Ledyard, New London County, the Mashantucket Pequot own and operate Foxwoods Resort Casino. As of 2012, it is the world's largest resort casino in terms of gambling space and number of slot machines.
Until 2007, the casino was one of the most economically successful in the United States, but by 2012, the casino was deeply in debt due to its expansion and changing conditions.
Beginning in the late 20th century, the tribe filed a federal land claims suit against the state and US government, charging that it had been illegally deprived of its land through state actions, which were not ratified by the Senate. As part of the settlement of this suit, Congress passed a bill and gave federal recognition to the tribe, in addition to approving financial compensation so that the tribe could buy land. The Mashantucket Pequot were the eighth tribal nation to gain recognition through an act of Congress; this was a political solution rather than the administrative process established by the Department of Interior within the executive branch.
Tribal membership is based on proven descent from members of eleven Pequot families who were listed in the 1900 US Census. The MPT is one of two federally recognized tribes in Connecticut; the other are the Mohegan Indian Tribe.
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