Indigenous peoples have lived in the New England area for thousands of years.

Gradually the Narragansett and other historic tribes developed societies as descendants of earlier cultures.

At this time, the Rhode Island coast is home to five Algonquian-speaking tribes: the Narragansett, Wampanoag, Mohegan, Niantic, and Nipmuck.

The Narragansett are one of the leading tribes of New England, controlling the west of Narragansett Bay in present-day Rhode Island, and also portions of Connecticut and eastern Massachusetts, from the Providence River on the northeast to the Pawcatuck on the southwest.

The Narragansett culture has existed in the region for centuries.

They have extensive trade relations across the region.

The first European contact had been in 1524, when Verrazano visited Narragansett Bay.