Mohegan Tribe
Gaining a sovereign reservation enabled the Mohegan to establish gaming operations on their lands to generate revenue for welfare and economic development of their tribe.
With revenues from the casino, the tribe donates to charitable organizations throughout Connecticut and invests in the development of tribal businesses throughout the United States.
[6] Before the seventeenth century, the Mohegan were part of the Pequot Tribe, which emerged among Algonquian peoples located in present south central New England.
Their life revolved around the outdoors, sustaining themselves through farming what is referred to as the Three Sisters: corn, beans, and squash, as well as sunflowers.
Stones play a dynamic role in Mohegan culture, including, but not limited to, being a tool to connect one to one's ancestors.
The pressure from rapidly expanding European settlements created competition for land and resources, while new infectious diseases were decimating Indian populations.
This controversial decision led to an uneasy alliance between Uncas and the Mohegan people with the English in the ensuing war with the Pequot (1637–1638).
Uncas settled his people in a village at Shantok on the Thames River, which the Tribe defended from a Narragansett invasion.
Finally, the Mohegan Tribe's alliance with the English kept its people relatively safe during the colonists' attacks on Native Americans during King Philip's War and afterward.
The Mohegan Tribe has created and maintained an independent governmental structure since before Europeans arrived in North America.
[9] The compact created between Connecticut and the Mohegan Tribe secured 25 percent of slot revenues to the state[10] to help fund services.
Connecticut's Native American tribes have generated the highest revenues for the state aside from federal government installations.
The government-to-government relationships that have developed between Connecticut and Mohegan have enabled quick resolutions to issues that have been raised, such as regulation of indoor smoking, alcohol service, and state police presence at the reservation.
[citation needed] The tribe has been a strong advocate for ensuring that Connecticut's communities get a greater share of slot revenues.
The Tribe is a partner in the Community Economic Development Fund, a revolving loan program that will help regional small businesses create jobs.
They provided 10,000 grocery bags to a food bank in Connecticut during this time, as well as gloves and masks to local medical professionals.
That year, it turned back $2.2 million in grant funds to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for redistribution to other Native American nations.
In 2021, the WNBA introduced new jerseys to reflect the significant role of female leadership in Mohegan tribal tradition.
Additionally, it is affiliated with other resorts throughout Northern Asia and the United States, including New Jersey, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
[22][23] In May 2024, Mohegan and Virgin Hotels Las Vegas announced the end of their partnership, with the tribe expected to have exited by 2025.
