Wappinger

The Wappinger were a confederacy of Algonquian-speaking Native American tribes who inhabited the east bank of the Hudson River in what is now southeastern New York and western Connecticut. Their territory stretched roughly from Manhattan Island north to the Roeliff Jansen Kill and east into parts of western Connecticut.

The name "Wappinger" can refer to the confederacy as a whole or to one of the constituent tribes, the Wappinger proper, whose primary village was located near present-day Wappinger Falls, New York. Other tribes within the confederacy included the Mattabesec (also known as the Paugussett), the Quinnipiac, the Tankiteke, the Nochpeem, and the Sintsink, among others.

The Wappinger people lived in villages and relied on a combination of agriculture (primarily corn, beans, and squash), hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants and nuts for sustenance. Their social structure was based on kinship, with sachems (chiefs) leading individual tribes and having influence within the wider confederacy.

The Wappinger came into increasing contact with European colonists during the 17th century, particularly with the Dutch, who established a trading post at New Amsterdam (present-day New York City). This contact led to trade, but also to conflict over land and resources. The Wappinger Confederacy was largely destroyed during Kieft's War (1643-1645), a brutal conflict between the Dutch and the local Native American populations. Many Wappinger were killed, displaced, or forced to flee.

After Kieft's War, remnants of the Wappinger joined other tribes or were assimilated into colonial society. Some sought refuge with other Algonquian groups further north or west. Today, descendants of the Wappinger may be found among various Native American communities, although the Wappinger Confederacy no longer exists as a distinct political entity.