The Inside Story of the Richest Indian Tribe in History: Casinos, Finance, Wealth (2003)

The Mashantucket Pequot are a federally recognized Native American nation in the state of Connecticut. About the book: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047018549X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=047018549X&linkCode=as2&tag=tra0c7-20&linkId=dd28af2c30dc5913a72fa4d08d96c816

They are descended from the Pequot people, one of the Algonquian-languages family. Within their Reservation in Ledyard, New London County, Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot operate Foxwoods Resort Casino, which 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,[1] but by 2012, the casino was deeply in debt.[2][3]

In the course of its successful federal land claims suit against the state, the tribe achieved federal recognition in 1983 by an act of Congress, as part of the settlement of the suit. It was the eighth tribal nation to have gained recognition through the political rather than administrative process. Tribal membership is based on proven descent from tribal members listed in the 1900 Census.[4] They are one of two federally recognized tribes in Connecticut; the other are the Mohegan Indian Tribe.

In addition, the state recognizes the Schaghticoke tribe, whose reservation dates from 1736; the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, with a reservation from 1683; and the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation, with a reservation from 1639.

In 1975 Richard Arthur Hayward became the tribal chairman. He worked to gain federal recognition for the tribe.[18] The tribe achieved political success by persuading Congressmen and appropriate committees in making the case for recognition and land claims. In this period, some tribes based in New York filed land claim suits against its state government, winning in court.

On October 18, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement Act, which included recognition of the Mashantucket Pequot. They were the eighth American Indian tribe to gain federal recognition through an act of Congress rather than through the administrative process of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA).[19] At least one other case of recognition had also been tied to settlement of a tribe's legitimate land claim.

In his book Without Reservation (2001), Jeff Benedict suggested that the Mashantucket were not descended from the historical Pequot tribe, but rather from the Narragansett tribe.[18] The Pequot denounced the book; asserting in public debates that Benedict's genealogical research was inherently flawed, as it failed to reflect the correct descendant lineages for Mashantucket Pequots identified on the 1910 and 1900 U.S. Census. Dr. Laurence Hauptman, a State University of New York Distinguished Professor of History and specialist in Native American history, disputed many aspects of Benedict's work. He argued with Benedict's assertions on the genealogy of current members.[4] The anthropologist Katherine A. Spilde also criticized Benedict's book.[20]

The Bureau of Indian Affairs' had established criteria, in consultation with tribes, by which tribes seeking recognition had to document cultural and community continuity, a political organization and related factors. Among the criteria are having to prove continuous existence as a recognized community since 1900, with internal government, and tribal rules for membership.

In 2002, the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation of North Stonington, Connecticut, gained federal recognition, as did the Schaghticoke Tribal Nation in 2004. In 2005, the Bureau of Indian Affairs revoked recognition of both Connecticut tribes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mashantucket_Pequot_Tribe

Image By WiNG (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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