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Foxwoods Indian Casino is located in South East Connecticut off of Route 2. Driving Route 2 north from Interstate 95 one can easily see Foxwoods as it appears like the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz.
Behind Foxwoods Casino is the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. The museum is dedicated to preserving the history of the Pequot Indians that were located on this reservation in Connecticut. The museum is open daily 10 am to 4 pm. The museum also houses a library and research center that is open 10 am to 4 pm.
The museum prices are high in this author’s opinion. As of December 2007 adults are $15, children are $10 and children under 6 are free. An average family is approximately $50 just for entering the museum. There is a casino within walking distance that profits millions of dollars every week, so the cost of going to a museum that is designed in preserving the people that made that casino possible is confusing. The museum should be free of charge. A possible compromise would be if you visit the casino, the museum is free.
The museum has a very good exhibit depicting Ice Age America. Visitors take an escalator down through a ‘glacier.’ Visitors then learn about the effects glaciers had on the land and sea of America and how native people adapted to it. Visitors then learn about mega fauna that are no longer in existence.
One of the most impressive displays at the museum is that of a Pequot village. Visitors walk through the village with audio guides that discuss how native people lived in these villages.
There are displays that discuss the Pequot Indian War with the English settlers. There also many other displays of Indian life on the reservation after the War. The museum houses a look out tower that visitors can view the reservation and casino if they desire.
As one may expect, the museum is very one sided towards the Pequot Indian people. There is no discussion about the average life expectancy of Native American people, just talk about how they lived ‘naturally.’ If a Pequot Indian got appendicitis, he would see a medicine man and then would most likely die. There were many displays about the smallpox epidemic and how the white people spread it throughout the tribe.
The displays about the Pequot Indian War were vague. Indians are displayed as protecting their land from the Whites. Whites are displayed as angry land grabbers. While many people might believe this is true, there is always more to the story. There were trade conflicts with the Dutch and English settlers. There were also disputes with the Narragansett Indians. A good history of the Pequot Indian War can be found at http://bc.barnard.columbia.edu/~rmccaugh/earlyAC/pequottl.htm.
While it is understandable that the museum focuses on the Pequot Indian History, it would be nice if the museum included other Indian tribe history. Indian nationalism is a dream of many Native Americans dating back to Tecumseh; however, it is evident from walking through the museum that the Pequot’s will have nothing to do with Indian Nationalism. The museum barely mentions any of the other New England tribes, there is a wall display that mentions King Phillips War (in nearby Rhode Island and Massachusetts), one of the most important American Indian battles in history. But the Museum has a larger display of the Modern Pequot Indian Basketball Team jersey.
There are changing exhibits that come from different native tribes and different Indian artists, but they are few.
The museum is worth a trip. It should not cost the amount it does, especially since the educational opportunities of the museum are limiting. There are not enough displays about Indian pride and Indian movements. One should leave the museum feeling that uplifted that Native Americans have survived, that they succeeded. They should not leave confused about the Pequot (not to mention New England Indian) history.
References:
http://www.pequotmuseum.org/Home/GeneralInformation/
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