Hassanamisco Nipmuc
The Hassanamiscos were living in what is today Grafton, Massachusetts, when in 1647 the Reverend John Elliot came to the village and converted the Hassanamiscos to Christianity.
The Hassanamisco Nipmuc, from whom the four and a half acre Hassanamesit Reservation in Grafton, Massachusetts takes its name, are a group of Nipmuc Indians native to Central Massachusetts, Northeastern Connecticut, and parts of Rhode Island. "Native American Indian Fairs" have been held annually at Hassanamisco Reservation location since 1924.
The Hassanamisco Nipmuc, also known in past centuries as the Hassanamesit Nipmuc or more recently as the Grafton Nipmuc, are along with the Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck, and the part of the group that identifies itself as the Nipmuc Nation.
While the Nipmuc are recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in 2004 the Bureau of Indian Affairs decided that this group does not meet four of the seven mandatory requirements for Federal acknowledgment as a "nation".
