The Naragansetts of Rhode Island

When settled in 1636, Rhode Island & The Providence Plantations were inhabited by three Algonquian tribes; the Niantic, in the southwest corner of Rhode Island, the Wampanoags, who inhabited a small sliver of the eastern part of the colony, and the Narragansetts, who inhabited the majority of present-day Rhode Island. It is for this reason that this article will discuss solely the Narragansett Tribe.
"Narragansett" roughly translates to "people of the little points and bays," referring to Narragansett Bay, the large bay in the eastern half of Rhode Island, filled with small archipelagos and points. The majority of the Narragansett population during the 17th century was located on the western shore of the Bay.
A fairly, if not highly successful and organized tribe before the arrival of the Pilgrims in 1620, they were first described in 1524 by Italian explorer Giovanni Verrazano as handsome, friendly, and shy. However, upon the arrival of permanent settlers, the Narragansett sachem, Miantonomi, grew worried that the new settlers, or Cutthroats, as he referred to them, would ruin the ways of the Narragansett. So, as a welcoming gift for the Plymouth colony, he sent a snakeskin filled with arrows. Governor Bradford returned Miantonomi's favor by sending him a snakeskin full of bullets. Needless to say, the Narragansett never did attack the colony. Roger Williams soon arrived in Narragansett territory in 1636, where he was cordially welcomed by a band of natives, including Miantonomi, and acquired land from them. Miantonomi is also noted for unsuccessfully attempting to form an alliance between natives in Long Island and New England, and because of this attempt, he was actually murdered by the sachem of the Pequot tribe of Connecticut, Uncas.
The relations between the Narragansett and the colonists of Rhode Island were generally peaceful for the first 40 years of white settlement, which can most likely be due to the fact that Roger Williams was at the spearhead of the movement to promote peaceful relations with the natives.
The Narragansetts lived in harmony with their surroundings, making the most of the summer by living close to the Bay, where they could catch fish, gather shellfish, and plant crops. During the autumn and winter months, the tribe would move towards the interior of Rhode Island, where they could hunt, and harvest their crops. The women Narragansetts were responsible for the cultivation of crops, while the males were responsible for the hunting. The cold winters were indeed harsh, but they prepared themselves by smoking meats and storing their crops away, so that they could last through the winter and provide them properly with nutrition.
Their control of Narragansett Bay proved to be beneficial, as wampum, or, the shell of a quahog(clam), was the main currency used in trade between both the colonists, as well as other neighboring tribes, ranging from the Mohawks to the west and the Massachusett to the north. Wampum was also used to make jewlery and belts, but its primary use in the New England region was currency.
As for communication between the natives and the colonists of Rhode Island, the citizens of Providence, Newport, and Portsmouth had one person to thank, and that was, of course, none other than Roger Williams. Williams, in 1643, actually published a book containing a translation guide for the Narragansett language, in addition to a study of their traditions. This book, coupled with the religious freedoms provided in the colony, provided an easy going, and profitable(for both parties) relationship that lasted nearly 50 years, until the aggression of the other New England colonies against the other New England native peoples
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Sources:
Conforti, Joseph A. Saints and Strangers:New England in British North America. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins UP, 2005
Simmons, William S. The Narragansett. New York, NY: Chelsea House, 1989.