Violence, Disease, and Public Medicine during the Pequot & King Philip’s Wars

The reality of the 17th-century relationship between Puritan settlers and Native Americans was sadly marred by warfare and disease. Recent archeological investigations of the battlefields of the Pequot War (1636-1637) and King Philip’s War (1675-1677) reveal even more violence and bloodshed than previously believed.

These wars had a profound effect on southern New England’s Native population and forever changed the cultural landscape of the region. This fascinating talk will cover the experiences of Native and Colonial peoples living with conflict, healing, and the disease that swept indiscriminately through their communities during some of New England’s bloodiest wars.

This interactive event will feature a talk by leading experts and will be followed by a discussion and Q&A.

Kevin McBride, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut and the Director of Research at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. Former member of the Board of Directors of the Connecticut Museum of Natural History and of the Governor's Task Force on Indian Affairs, he has written numerous articles on Native American and Colonial archaeology.

Ashley Bissonnette, PhD, is the Senior Researcher at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center and Assistant Professor of Health Sciences at Eastern Connecticut State University. Her dissertation was “Pestilences of New England’s First Wars, Disease, Medicine and Colonial Trauma during the Pequot and King Philip’s Wars.” She specializes in Colonial and Native American history, Colonial trauma, and ethnomedicine.