About The Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office

 

The Narragansett Indian Tribe

The Narragansett Indians are the descendants of the aboriginal people of the State of Rhode Island. Archaeological evidence and the oral history of the Narragansett People establish their existence in this region more than 30,000 years ago. The Tribe’s land at one time stretched across the entirety of Rhode Island and beyond.  Today the Tribe has a 250-acre reservation in Charlestown, RI.  Unlike some other tribes, the Narragansetts do not own a casino.

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NITHPO

The Narragansett have a traditional tribal government with few written laws.  There is a Chief Sachem and a Tribal Council, and there is a Medicine Man.  The Chief Sachem and Tribal Council are the civic governmental body of the Tribe, while The Medicine Man holds authority based on the tradition, culture, cultural law and lore of the Tribe.

The Narragansett Indian Tribal Historic Preservation Office (NITHPO) was established by the Medicine Man to preserve and protect important Tribal cultural and religious customs, traditions and history.  In recent years, the NITHPO has protected Indian burial sites, acquired land for the tribe, and worked to preserve the cultural identity of the Narragansett people.