Nehantic Heritage Day celebration coming to East Lyme on October 12

The Nehantic Nation and the East Lyme Historical Society are collaborating to organize Nehantic Heritage Day, their third annual celebration of the Nehantic Native Nation at McCook Park in Niantic, Connecticut on Saturday, October 12 from 12pm-4pm

This year’s Nehantic Heritage Day program at McCook Park will start at 12pm with a drum group and dancers, bringing traditional music to the Nehantic homeland. Family activities will be ongoing throughout the afternoon. Young people will learn about traditional Eastern Woodlands baskets with their own take-home basket craft, go on a scavenger hunt to learn about Nehantic names, learn about the Nehantic heritage through rubbings and sponge painting, and hear stories written by Indigenous authors.

The opening ceremony will take place at 2pm at the pavilion, led by tribal council members. Historian Dr. David Naumec will then present a talk on the Pequot War and Mistick Archaeology. Following this, Dr. John Pfeiffer will discuss the Nehantic Burial Ground and members of the Nehantic tribal council will lead a historic walking tour around the park.

The Nehantic people have a deep history in this region, extending back thousands of years. Their population once numbered in the thousands, but European colonization led to devastating population loss due to deadly epidemics. Reservation lands were set aside for the Nehantics on Black Point, but life on the reservation was not sustainable and many Nehantics migrated to urban centers throughout the Northeast to find employment, while others joined the Brothertown communities first in upstate New York then in Wisconsin.

In recent years, the Nehantic people have held annual gatherings under the Sturgeon moon in August, bringing widespread families back to their homelands. Today the Nehantics are dedicated to promoting the conservation and continuation of their tribal culture and history, and promoting the social and cultural well-being of Nehantic descendants.

McCook Park is adjacent to Niantic Bay, with a view of Wigwam Rock, where historically the Nehantics lit a fire to call their people together. Today the goal is to bring community members together to learn about Nehantic history and culture at a fun, family-friendly event.

This program is free and open to the public. In the event of inclement weather, a rain date is planned for October 13. It is made possible thanks to generous contributions by the Nehantic Native Nation, the East Lyme Historical Society, the Town of East Lyme, the East Lyme Public Library, the Southeastern Connecticut Organization for Racial Equity, Niantic Community Church, the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, and individual community members.