First Peoples of Newport and Aquidneck Island

When Europeans first began to explore what is now Rhode Island in the 1500s, five indigenous groups were living in the area: the Pequots, the Nipmucs, the Niantics, the Narragansetts, and the Wampanoags. Among these, the Narragansett and Wampanoag tribes were the most predominant.

The Narragansett Nation may have been the largest tribe in Rhode Island during the 17th century. As the Wampanoags declined, in part due to diseases brought by the colonists, the Narragansetts took over their territory on the islands in what is now Narragansett Bay. Narragansett Chieftains Canonicus and Miantonomi signed the 1637 deed, which formally sold Aquidneck Island to William Coddington, leader of a small group of English settlers, in exchange for wampum beads, winter coats, and gardening implements.

A large Native American village existed in what is now called Newport, serving as the summer home for the Narragansett people. It is safe to say that the current site of Touro Synagogue was within this community.