Maps of Early New England

Saturday, Nov 1, 1-2:30 pm

The European Mapping of Early New England

If you like maps, here's an opportunity to see some rare early maps in the Museum's Archives and Special Collections. Our guest is Matthew Edney, Osher Professor in the History of Cartography and director of the History of Cartography Project at the University of Maine. He plans to discuss early representations of European exploration and North American colonization with a look at historical maps and the cartographic shaping of New England during the 17th and 18th centuries. We will have examples from Museum’s collection of maps depicting New England from the 16th to the 20th centuries. In the Fleet Room. $10 for the lecture; Museum admission is not required. To register, call (800) 411-9671 or email rsvp@pequotmuseum.org by Oct. 29.

New Schemitzun materials in Archives

Archives & Special Collections has recently received a collection of graphics project files developed by the former MPTN Creative Arts department. Featured in this collection are many examples of imagery used to promote Schemitzun powwows from 1996-2002. Patrons may view artwork used for magazine advertisements, flyers, bumper stickers and posters as well as the imagery printed on products such as t-shirts and coffee mugs.

Also featured in the Creative Arts collection are several hundred video tapes of Schemitzun footage taken from 1993 - 2007. All of the Creative Arts material is available to be viewed by the public. If you would like to make an appointment, please use the contact information below, or make a request to visit the Archives at the library reference desk:

Phone: 860-396-7020
Email: archive [at] mptn-nsn [dot] gov

Image: Schemitzun t-shirt artwork from 1999

Archival Collection Features Material From 'Pequot Lives' Exhibit

The recently closed exhibit Pequot Lives in the Lost Century (May 16th – Sept. 12, 2009) focused on the lives of Mashantucket Pequot people during the roughly 100 year period leading to the Tribe’s rebirth in 1983. The exhibit drew upon several years worth of research performed here at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center. Harley Erickson, a member of the Research staff, has compiled 27 notebooks of Pequot Lives research materials that include:

• Newspaper clippings and obituaries from 18th century through the present day
  Office of Indian Affairs records


• Data on Pequot communities in Providence, New York and Los Angeles
  Historic maps and aerial photos


• Images, articles leaflets, etc. representing tribal gatherings


• Notes, photos, articles, etc. pertaining to Pequots in the armed services


• and much more …

A finding aid for the collection is available in the Archives & Special Collections reading room. Some materials in this collection are restricted to Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Members.

New Archival Collection: Foxwoods Creative Arts

Archives & Special Collections has recently received a large collection of video and image materials of Tribal events documenting the period from 1993 - 2007. The collection, created by former MPTN Creative Arts department, is comprised of approximately 2,350 video tapes and 1.6 terabytes of digital materials that are considered important in documenting the history of MPTN.

Highlights of the collection include:

• Meet The Tribe - a series of brief interviews with Mashantucket Pequot Tribal members created for WIN-TV, the Foxwoods television network
• Schemitzun footage from 1993 to 2007
• Groundbreaking and construction footage of Foxwoods Resort Casino and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum
• Language materials such as Pequot language classes and footage of the Revitalizing Algonquian Languages Conferences
• The Lake of Isles Archaeology Project

A finding aid with a complete listing of the tapes in the collection is available in the Archives & Special Collections reading room. Certain materials may be restricted.

Phone: 860-396-7020
Email: archive [at] mptn-nsn.gov

Tribal Council at the groundbreaking for MGM Grand on November 15, 2005
from Creative Arts Collection

Images from Special Collections now available on Flickr

»» http://www.flickr.com/photos/pequotmuseumlibrary/ ««

As part of our continuing efforts to reach out to remote patrons and provide access to our materials, we have set up three preliminary Flickr galleries, which offer a glimpse into our Special Collections. If you are unfamiliar with Flickr, it is one of the largest image hosting websites, as well as an online community which encourages interaction among its users. So far, the we have made "friends" with New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Beinecke Library (Yale University) .

At the time of this blog post, digital images of select items from our Engravings, Early Maps, and Popular Culture collections are currently on view, with more to come in the future. Be sure to stop in again for updates. Or, you may subscribe to our Flickr page via RSS: Link to RSS feed

Strength and Courage: Native American Cancer Survivor Stories

The Archives & Special Collections is pleased to present a new oral history collection: Strength and Courage: Native American Cancer Survivor Stories. With funding provided by the Lance Armstrong Foundation and the New England division of the American Cancer Society, Northeast Tribal Wellness & Cancer Prevention is working to document Native American experiences with cancer to provide helpful information to current and future generations. Transcripts of taped interviews with Native American cancer survivors are available to be viewed by the general public and researchers. Recordings and mementos are also being collected, though some of these materials may be restricted. This on-going project is currently focusing on members of the Mashantucket Pequot tribe. The long-term goal is to collect donations from Native American cancer survivors throughout the Northeast.

For more information contact the Archives & Special Collections.

Phone: (860) 396-7020
Email: archive [at] mptn-nsn.gov