Tantaquidgeon Museum
Tantaquidgeon Museum Public Domain
Tantaquidgeon Museum Public Domain
Montville, CT
(41.4742928,-72.0995331)
Directions
Limited hours. Check the website for details.
All Destinations Museums Native American History
The Tantaquidgeon is the oldest museum in the country owned and operated by a Native American Tribe. This small museum tells the story of the Mohegan people through artifacts and replicas of their history. It was founded in 1931 by the Tantaquidgeon family on the premise that “it is harder to hate someone that you know a lot about.” Among the museum founders was Dr. Gladys Tantaquidgeon (1899 – 2005). She (and her family) are descendants of the Mohegan Chief Uncas. At a time when it was unusual for women (much less native women) to attend college, she graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in anthropology and spent her life studying, teaching and writing about Native American customs and culture. In 1994, she was inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.