Hiking Indigenous Lands of Connecticut and Massachusetts

While the residents of Connecticut and Massachusetts enjoy a plethora of hiking trails to explore, they may not be familiar with the rich indigenous history of the lands these trails traverse. Numerous tribes, including the the Quinnipiac, Wangunk, Tunxis, Massacoe, Woronocco, Agawam, Nipmuc, Nonotuck, Pocumtuck, and Abenaki, inhabited these lands for hundreds of years. Hiking Indigenous Lands of Connecticut and Massachusetts will guide readers along 40 hikes in both states, with a unique focus on the indigenous history of the lands that each hike traverses. These hikes will introduce readers to meaningful indigenous places, people, stories, and narratives. It will connect the reader to the land while they discover a vibrant and rich culture that persists to the present day. This indigenous history is merged with detailed guidebook information, creating a valuable resource to learn about trails to explore, the history of the land, and the indigenous stories they have to tell.

Jay Levy was born in Colombia and adopted and raised in Connecticut. He holds a degree in Anthropology from Central Connecticut State University. He works for the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut as an Archaeology Supervisor in the Mohegan Tribal Historic Preservation Office. He sits on many Native American Advisory Boards and acts as a Cultural Advisor, integrating Indigenous ideology, tribal tradition, and cultural protocol into land conservation. In 2022, he was contracted as a Tribal Consultant by the Connecticut Forest and Parks Association and in 2023 by the Appalachian Mountain Club to conduct an indigenous site survey of the New England National Scenic Trail. He often presents this work and research at conferences and institutions and has led several interpretive hikes.