NATIVE TRIBES AND DIALECTS OF CONNECTICUT 

 A MOHEGAN-PEOUOT DIARY 



By Frank G. Speck 



MOHEGAX-PEQUOT TEXTS 



Some years ago, after the death of Fidelia A. H. Fielding (pi. 14) , the 

 last Indian who retained the ability to speak the Mohegan language, 

 I practically concluded that the last morsel of obtainable linguistic 

 and ethnological material concerning this important and little-known 

 group of Algonkian had been secured and published. With such an 

 impression in mind, in 1905 I turned over to Prof. J. D. Prince the 

 last of my Mohegan papers, as my attention then became diverted 

 to other fields. This material consisted of a personal diary written 

 in Mohegan-Pequot by Mrs. Fielding. The preservation of these 

 inscriptions would have provided a welcome addition to the scanty 

 text material up until that time in existence, but the papers were 

 soon after unfortunately destroyed in a conflagration which consumed 

 much of Professor Prince's library. And so it remained for us to 

 lament the passing of the last Mohegan opportunity. Mrs. Fielding 

 died in 1908, having been for some years in. such a condition as to 

 make investigation an impossibility. Fortune, however, turned a 

 favorable aspect. Another collection of texts in the form of a diary, 

 some essays, and memorandums were found among Mrs. Fielding's 

 posthumous belongings by her stepson, John Fielding. This manu- 

 script was generously placed in my hands by John. It possesses 

 more substance than that which was lost, as I remember it, being 

 far more copious and having a wider range of thought and expression. 

 In consequence of such a favorable event I became stimulated 

 recently to revisit the southern N^ew England field, and to spend some 

 time in residence at the old Mohegan village gathering notes on the 

 new morsel and searching for more refreshing knowledge in the old 

 atmosphere. The first results are accordingly submitted. The 

 almost miraculous recovery of these words in an obsolete language 

 permits a hope, perhaps not too optimistic, that still more, and 

 perhaps something in other eastern dialects, may come to light through 

 the hands of several of the investigators whose eyes and thoughts 

 are turning with interest to the eastern remnants. 



In a number of papers, some of which were prepared in collabora- 

 tion with Professor Prince, the Mohegan-Pequot subject matter was 



205 



