The name is familiar to New Haven residents: Quinnipiac University, the Quinnipiac River, the Quinnipiac Bridge, and so on. But the Quinnipiac – the indigenous people who lived for thousands of years in the area we now call New Haven County – are not among the federally or state-recognized tribes of Connecticut. Decimated by smallpox in the 17th century, with colonizers pushing ever further into their remaining territory, the few survivors eventually left and were absorbed into other groups and tribes.
For those interested in learning more about the history of this land and the Quinnipiac people, one of the best starting points is a tiny but beautifully curated museum at Dudley Farm in Guilford, called the Quinnipiac Dawnland Museum.
I visited the museum on a sunny October Saturday. There was a bustling farmer’s market, live music, and a raptor demonstration in a large barn. Just beyond these, the museum is housed in an unassuming wooden structure. I was welcomed by two friendly and knowledgeable docents, eager to answer my questions.
Founded by historian and archeologist Jim Powers, the museum holds a remarkable collection of artifacts, mainly tools and meticulously labeled arrowheads. Many of these were donated by Gordon Running Fox Brainerd, believed to be of Quinnipiac descent. While the quartz is native to Connecticut, the docent pointed out to me that the flint came from quarries as far as Ohio, revealing robust trade prior to colonization.
Visitors can view images of the 1639 land agreement between the English Colonists and the Quinnipiac of Mennunkatuck (encompassing present-day Guilford and Madison), which the Squaw Sachem, Shaumpishuh, signed with a bow and arrow mark, and a shoreline map made by Shaumpishuh and her uncle in a meeting with English colonist Henry Whitfield. A brief history of colonization is summed up on wall panels, which note that while the Dutch came to trade, “the English came to stay.”
Among the artifacts, the museum features a few beautiful pieces of contemporary indigenous art. Joy Harjo’s poem Don’t Bother The Earth Spirit is inscribed on one wall.
Above a reproduction canoe, a painting by Deborah Spears Moorehead portrays a traditional Quinnipiac village. Another painting by Robert Peters, called “The Three Sisters and Grandmother Moon,” immediately draws the eye, and further along a pencil sketch by the same artist depicts a single indigenous man, head bowed in grief, stirring something in a bowl, while a skeletal body lies on a cot behind him and a face appears in the smoke of a smoldering fire. This devastating sketch is named simply: Smallpox.
QUINNIPIAC VILLAGE – DEOBRAH SPEARS MOOREHEAD (Seaconke Pokanoket Wampanoag artist)
THE THREE SISTERS AND GRANDMOTHER MOON – ROBERT PETERS (Mashpee Wampanoag artist)
The Quinnipiac Dawnland Museum brings to life the long history of the land we now occupy and the catastrophic impact of colonization. Open to the public on weekends, May through October, you can visit by appointment at other times of year.
Other CT museums to visit:
Get a free museum pass to the Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center at any New Haven Free Public Library location! The pass includes:
- 4 FREE regular admissions tickets (up to 2 Adult tickets & 2 youth tickets OR 1 Adult & 3 youth tickets)
- Unlimited FREE admission for children under 6
- 10% discount at the Museum Gift Shop
Sources
Links in Text
https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/Branford-s-Running-Fox-works-to-keep-Quinnipiac-16960083.php
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/101675/dont-bother-the-earth-spirit-who-lives-here
https://www.mohegan.nsn.us/explore/museum
https://ctvisit.com/listings/mashantucket-pequot-museum-research-center