The other day we went to the Pequot Museum located at Foxwoods Casino, about an hour from where Phil’s family lives. This place was really amazing with informative and interactive exhibits. It was also pretty depressing as it was easy to become immersed in the culture and life of the Pequot tribe through the life sized dioramas, and then painful to read about how the Europeans killed off the Native Americans ultimately resulting in 5 Pequot members living in a “van down by the river” on the reservation by the 70′s. Something else that stuck with me was how the Europeans built homes that had a permanence and stability to them, whereas the Native Americans built shelters that were easily transportable and could last at most 20 years. Because of this the Europeans felt that the Native Americans weren’t claiming ownership of the land, justifying why the Europeans could overtake them so forcefully.
