Indigenous Peoples

Indigenous peoples have called Connecticut home for thousands of years, and the lands in and around Weir Farm National Historical Park are no exception. Through archeology, historical research, and oral traditions preserved by today’s Native American tribes and nations, we can document, understand, and preserve the connections between those communities and the land today.

Archeological research in Ridgefield and Wilton, two towns neighboring Weir Farm, indicates Indigenous presence here more than 12,000 years ago. Within park property, Weir Farm Indigenous peoples used this land beginning at least 6,000 years ago—to gather, hunt, and make tools from the stone outcrops. Given the abundance of streams and wetlands, the area was deemed a popular gathering place despite being relatively far from the coast. People gathered here to benefit from the abundant natural resources that provided food, medicine, and other staples.

Historical documents and oral histories indicate that many different communities of Indigenous peoples inhabited western Connecticut. Ramapough, also known as Ramapoo, was a prominent village in the Weir Farm area, and it appears to have been part of the Wiechquaeskeck tribe. Reaching consensus, however, on who lived where is challenging. Extensive land losses, disease, and conflicts in the 1600s forced large Indigenous population movements and resettlement to the north and west. Today’s Ramapough Munsee Nation in southern New York and northeastern New Jersey recount the many times when they were forced to sell land and relocate, as European settlers continued to move inland. Over the course of a few centuries, much of what was known about the original inhabitants here was lost through war and diaspora.

Today, descendants of the Ramapough and other Indigenous communities who called this area and the state home, continue to dwell in their ancient homelands, maintaining the wealth of historical experience and traditional knowledge passed down through generations by their tribal culture keepers.