Narragansett

General Information

• 300 Narragansett Indians live in Rhode Island today, 3,000 are alive total
• Believed in a god, called Manitto
• Many died off from diseases such as tuberculosis, plague, and smallpox

Housing

• Narragansett Indians lived in houses called wigwams
• Others lived in Iroquoian styled houses
• Most houses were made out of wood, and cedar

Food

• Meats that the Indians ate were turkey, deer, fish, and other small animals
• When traveling around most would pick up nuts and fruit
• Other times the Indians would eat cornbread, stew and soup

Clothing

• Women in the tribes wore knee length skirts, earrings, mocassins, and no shirt
• Men in the tribe wore a breech cloth, leggings, earrings, mocassins, no shirt, and in winter they wore deer material

Daily Life

• Most women farmed, took care of their children, told stories, did bead work, and cooked every day
• Most men hunted, protected the tribes, told stories, and did art
• Most Children helped around the house, did chores, and played games

Encountering With the White Men

• In the year 1524 Giovanni de Verrazano met the tribe
• Giovanni recorded that the Indians were civil and gentle
• The Indian tribe had a book written about them by Roger Williams

Location

• Narragansett Indians lived in Rhode Island and in Connecticut
• The Narragansett Indians were placed on a reservation in Rhode Island when the white men came

Today

• Today, the Indians live like any average American
• They live in houses or apartments
• They attend school
• They dress like any other American
• But, they still have the special culture of of being a Narragansett