The Mohegan and Pequot together numbered about 6,000 in 1620. Internal divisions occurred after 1633, and Uncas and his followers separated from the main body to become the Mohegan. A smallpox epidemic during the winter of 1634-35 reduced both groups by about 30 percent. After the Pequot War, the two groups were forcibly reunited when 1,500 Pequot and western Niantic were placed under the control of Uncas and the Mohegan creating a combined population of about 3,000. A second smallpox epidemic in 1639 lowered this to less than 2,500. The English moved the Pequot to separate reserves in 1655 and later population estimates sometimes included them as part of the Mohegan and sometimes not. Despite the incorporation of Mattabesic, Nipmuc, and Narragansett, the Mohegan population continued to drop - mainly from disease. Smallpox appeared at regular intervals (1649, 1662, 1670, 1677, 1687, 1729, 1755) and combined with influenza (1647, 1675), diphtheria (1659), and measles (1687) to decimate Connecticut's native population. Although the Mohegan were considered an ally by the colonists, it is likely their close association accelerated the decline of the Mohegan by exposure to infection. By 1675 the Mohegan numbered less than 1,200. Thirty years later (1705), they were only 750. In the years which followed, groups began to separate from the main body - most notably, the 300 Mohegan who left Connecticut with the Brotherton Indians between 1775 and 1788 to live with the Oneida and Stockbridge Indians (Mahican) in upstate New York. The Brotherton, Oneida, and Stockbridge sold their New York lands in 1822 and by 1834 had moved to northern Wisconsin. Currently, there are Mohegan descendants in Wisconsin among the Stockbridge west of Green Bay and Brotherton (not federally recognized) east of Lake Winnebago. After these defections, there were only 206 Mohegan in Connecticut in 1774. By 1809 this had fallen to 70. There was a sudden increase to 360 in 1832 - the result of either an amazing birth-rate or a count which included native peoples other than Mohegan. The 1850 census listed 125 Mohegan in Connecticut, most of whom afterwards merged quietly into the general population. The 1910 census found only 22. Recently reorganized as a tribe, the Mohegan have almost 1,000 members (600 live in Connecticut) and received federal recognition in 1994. Names In their language, "Mohegan" means wolf - exactly the same as "Mahican" from the Mahican language, but these slightly different names refer to two very distinct Algonquin tribes in different locations. It is very common for the Mohegan of the Thames River in eastern Connecticut to be confused with the Mahican from the Hudson Valley in New York (a distance of about a hundred miles). Even James Fenimore Cooper got things confused when he wrote "Last of the Mohicans" in 1826. Since Cooper lived in Cooperstown, New York and the location of his story was the upper Hudson Valley, it can be presumed he was writing about the Mahican of the Hudson River, but the spelling variation chosen (Mohican) and use of Uncas, the name of a Mohegan sachem, has muddled things. Other factors have contributed to the confusion, not the least of which was the Mohegan were the largest group of the Brotherton Indians in Connecticut. After the Brotherton moved to the Oneida reserve in upstate New York in 1788, they became mixed with the Stockbridge Indians (Mahican) from western Massachusetts. Because of this, the present-day Stockbridge Tribe should contain descendants from both the Mahican and Mohegan. Anyone not confused at this point may consider himself an expert. Spelling variations used for the Mohegan in Connecticut and Mahican of New York and western Massachusetts (Mohiggan, Monahegan, Morihican, etc.) frequently overlap and have been applied equally to both tribes. Alternative names only for the Mohegan were: Seaside People, Uncas Indians, Unkas, and Upland Indians. Language Algonquin. Y-dialect like the Pequot, Narragansett, Niantic, and Montauk. It should be noted that the Mahican of New York spoke an N-dialect. Villages Ashowat, Catantaquck, Checapscaddock, Groton, Kitemaug, Mamaquaog, Mashantackack, Massapeag, Mohegan, Moosup, Moraigan, Nawhesetuck, Pachaug, Paugwonk, Pautexet, Pigscomsuck, Poquechanneeg, Poquechanock, Poquetanuck, Shantuck, Shecomeco, Shetucket (Showtucket), Wabaquasset, Wanungatuck (Waunungtatuck, Wongattuck), Wauregan, and Willimantic (Weammantuck). Culture Culturally, the Mohegan were identical to the Pequot - the only difference being their political allegiance. The Mohegan were English allies for almost a century after 1633, while the Pequot fought the colonists and were nearly destroyed in five years. From the perspective of the colonists and their descendants (who wrote the history of New England), Uncas and the Mohegan were the "good Indians," while Sassacus and the Pequot were "bad Indians." Most native Americans, however, would probably see this "good" and "bad" in reverse. It is interesting to note that, although the Mohegan and Pequot tried to cope with the Europeans by very different means , their ultimate fate was the same ...impoverishment, loss of their land, and near-extinction. History The traditions of both the Mohegan and Pequot agree that they originally came from the upper Hudson River Valley. The timing of this migration is unclear but appears to have been sometime around 1500. Dutch records dating from 1614 mention their meeting with the Sequin on the lower Connecticut River. Although this may have been another tribe, the name appears to have been altered at a later date to Pequin which was one of the names the Dutch used for the Pequot. During the next few years, the Dutch increased their fur trade along the lower Connecticut and built a permanent trading post near Hartford in 1622. Although the Dutch wanted to trade with everyone, the Pequot were determined to dominate the smaller Nipmuc and Mattabesic tribes in the area and control their access to the Dutch. After a violent confrontation and near-war in 1622, the Dutch decided to let the Pequot have their way, and the result was profitable for both the Dutch and Pequot. During the next ten years, the Pequot collected tolls from other tribes for the right to pass through their lands or served as middlemen in the fur and wampum trade with the Dutch along the Connecticut River. This comfortable arrangement ended in 1633 when English traders from Boston built a trading post at Windsor just upstream from the Dutch. From this location, the English were able to intercept the furs coming from the interior before they could reach either the Pequot or Dutch. The Dutch reacted by purchasing land from the Pequot and building a fortified trading post (House of Good Hope) while hoping that Pequot hostility would force the English to leave. The reasons the Dutch were upset with this English competition are obvious, but the Pequot's were more complex. Besides the loss of tolls and tribute from other tribes, there was also (perhaps more importantly) a direct challenge to their authority over the tribes in the area which struck the very heart of the Pequot's power. Another was wampum, the source of Pequot wealth. English colonists had started manufacturing wampum with steel drills and were flooding the market which lowered its value. Because of this, the Dutch were certain the Pequot would force the English to leave, but things did not work out this way. As they acquired wealth and power, serious divisions began to appear within the Pequot. For one thing, the Pequot inland along the upper Thames did have the same access to Dutch traders as did their coastal tribesmen. In their view, the English post at Windsor was more accessible with better prices, and they saw no reason why the Pequot should not be able to establish a monopoly with the English similar to one with the Dutch. Adding to this was the personal rivalry between Sassacus and Uncas. When the Pequot grand sachem Wopigwooit died in 1631, both Uncas and Sassacus expected to succeed him. The council, however, chose Sassacus, and despite the fact he was married to Sassacus' daughter, Uncas never accepted its decision. May Your Waters Run Gentle. Little Hawk.