What Did the Pequot Indians Wear?

The Pequot Indians dressed differently depending upon their gender.

Pequot women wore a knee length skirt, or a deerskin mantle during the winter.
A Pequot man wore a breechcloth and leather leggings.

In the Pequot culture, shirts were not considered a necessity. During the winter months, the people often wore shirts due to the weather. However, during the summer, most Pequot individuals did not wear a shirt.

The Pequot tribe, both the men and the women, wore moccasins and earrings. During ceremonies, the Pequot people sometimes wore an Indian beaded headband with a feather or a couple of feathers in it. The men would frequently shave their heads with the exception of one long piece of hair on their heads.

Where the Pequot Indians Lived

By the time that the Europeans came to North America, the Pequot Indians lived in Connecticut. Specifically, they lived in the south east part of Connecticut. However, historians do not know if the Pequot Indians originated from there, or if that was where they lived by the time of first European contact.

However, historians do believe that the Pequot tribe was originally part of a tribe with the Mohegan people. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, the tribes split and the Pequot tribe became its own entity. Despite splitting, the Mohegan people and the Pequot people still spoke the same language and shared similar cultures.

Meaning of the Pequot Name

The name of the Pequot Indians translated to “destroyers.” The tribe is named as such because the Pequot Indians frequently got into wars with other tribes, such as the Narragansett tribe. However, the Pequot Indians were also known by the following names: Pekoath, Pequin, and Sagimo.

Some Pequot Indians have contested the translation of their name, and state that the name was actually derived from the Pequot language. They believe that the word came from a different word from the Pequot language that has since been lost to history.

Pequot Indians Diet

The diet of the Pequot Indians was mainly agricultural. However, the Pequot Indians did hunt and fish during the winter, when there were fewer crops available. The agriculture that the Pequot Indians consumed included:

Corn
Squash
Beans
Tobacco for recreational use

Some of the meat that the Pequot tribe consumed included:

Deer

Turkeys

Smaller game

The Pequot people would also fish if opportunity presented itself.

Structure and Organization of the Tribe

The Pequot tribe was separated into two divisions: the Mashantucket Pequots and the Eastern Pequots. These divisions were both considered part of the Pequot tribe, however they lived in different parts of Connecticut and they each had their own governments.

Art of the Pequot Tribe

The Pequot tribe was known both for their bead work and their basket-making skills. The Pequot tribe also frequently created wampum. The wampum was created from white and purple shell beads. These beads were used as both decoration, and also were sometimes used for currency.

These wampum beads were sometimes embroidered onto a belt. The Pequot Indians would attempt to tell a story with the designs of these wampum beads.