Click on the following links to visit the research sites:
The following sites provide information about Eastern Woodlands Tribes like those that live and lived in Western Massachusetts and their relationships to animals.
- Index of Native American Legends about Animals – This site collects stories about animals from Native tribes across North America and sorts them by type of animal. So, if you are studying river otters, you would click “Animal stories about otters” to see a quick overview of different tribes for whom otters were important and a list of links to legends involving otters.
- Mohican Animal Picture Disctionary – The traditional lands of the Mohicans (also called Mahicans) are mostly in modern-day New York State and Vermont. Their language is very closely related to what the local Pocumtuc people spoke.
- Narragansett Animal Picture Dictionary – The Narragansett tribe is based in Eastern MA and Rhode Island. Their language is very closely related to what the local Nipmuc people spoke.
- Eastern Woodlands Hunters This is from a Canadian site and focuses on tribes rooted in Ontario, but much of the information is also true about animals and practices around here. Canadians usually call Native Americans the “First Nations” or “First Peoples”
- About the Abenaki – The Abenaki (also called Wôbenaki or Wabenaki) lived a little farther north, but had a lot in common with Western MA tribes. Many Native people from Massachusetts went to live with the Abenaki after being pushed out of their land in Massachusetts