Rhode Island Colonization and Narragansett Survivance, 1636 - present

Narragansetts sheltered Roger Williams in 1636 when he arrived in what is now Providence.

The 1663 Rhode Island Royal Charter permitted colonists to “invade and destroy the native Indians” upon “just causes.”

In 1781, the 1st RI Regiment, which included many Indigenous soldiers, distinguished itself during the Battle of Rhode Island.

The State of Rhode Island detribalized the Narragansett nation in violation of federal law in 1880-1884, and sold their land.

Representatives from twelve Northeast Indigenous Nations gathered in Providence in 1925 to create a New England Indian Council.

The Native community gathered at the Narragansett Indian Church after a ceremony for Chief Nighthawk in the 1930s.

Dancers represented several Indigenous nations at the Narragansett Annual August Meeting Powwow in 1947.

Narragansett Indian Economic Development Commissioners celebrated opening a Smoke Shop on sovereign reservation land in 2013.

Narragansett community member Christian Hopkin and Tomaquag Museum Director Lorén Spears accept the National Medal for Museum and Library Service from First Lady Michelle Obama in 2016.