Bermuda residents have had two opportunities to learn about the rich history and traditions of the Pequots this month.

Hundreds of members of the Native American tribe were believed to have been sold to Bermuda in the 1600s as slaves following the Pequot War in the US. In Bermuda, the Pequots thrived and today many Bermudians share the Pequot bloodline.

Dr. Kevin McBride, a professor of Anthropology at the University of Connecticut and director of research at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Centre, spoke last week at the Bermuda National Gallery, drawing a large audience eager to learn about the history and culture of the Pequots.

Dr. McBride said Pequots lived in the area of south-east Connecticut in the sixteenth century. The tribe?s name means ?destroyers? and was emblematic of their warlike nature.

They were agricultural people who first came into contact with Europeans in 1614 when Dutch merchants started a fur trade with them.

A large percentage of the tribe was killed during the Pequot War in 1637 by English settlers. Many others were captured and sold into slavery, with a number of them being sold to Bermuda as slaves.

Dr. McBride ? who is also Pequot ? discussed the tribe?s history as well as the many artefacts and artistic representations of Pequot life at the Connecticut museums.

The museum opened in 1998 and quickly earned the praise of the Smithsonian Institution, he said.

One of the more popular exhibits at the museum is a re-created 16th-century village, which includes 51 life-size figures cooking at campfires, taking care of children and making tools.

St. David?s Island Historical Society Indian committee chairman Steven Tucker said the event was a huge success and many people attended it, including a lot of people who are not involved in the Pequot community.

Mr. Tucker said Dr. McBride asked to meet local descendants of the Pequot tribe and was treated to a social gathering on Sunday evening. He was also taken on a tour of St. George?s and St. David?s.

Dr. McBride was presented with a St. David?s tapestry and he gave an impromptu lecture on the Pequot War and King Phillip?s War in 1662.

Following on Dr. McBride?s visit, Morning Star, the reigning Ms Mashantucket, is on the Island this week and will be offering local women an opportunity to learn the Native American blanket dance.

Morning Star will be giving lessons on Friday at the St. David?s Primary School gym from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. She will also be teaching the dance on Saturday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. and again from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Mr. Tucker said the event is for everyone young and old. He encouraged anyone interested in learning something new to attend the event.

?Pequot Indians weren?t just found in St. David?s, they were all over the Island,? he said.

And he said the committee has done a great job of raising awareness of the history of the Pequots in Bermuda.

?It?s come a long way since we first started, people are accepting and interested in the history,? he said.

?We?ve got more people, not from St. David?s, who are part of the committee which is encouraging because we want our community to grow and want to share with everyone.?

For more information please call Mr. Tucker at 505-4096.