Miniseries on Bermuda's Native Ties Due November 16

Connecticut Public's Reconnection examines how New England tribal groups and St David's, Bermuda, found family across the Atlantic.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Native American

Weathered wooden boat hull resting on pale limestone beside turquoise shallows and a calm sea horizon under soft afternoon light. — Connecticut Public's Reconnection miniseries, releasing November 16, traces how New England tribal ancestors' descendants found family in St David's, Bermuda. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Connecticut Public will release the miniseries Reconnection: How New England Tribes Found Family in Bermuda on November 16. The production follows a May film crew visit to St David's, where the crew met community elders.

Why it matters

The series documents historical ties between Bermuda and Native American tribal groups in New England, linking the island's communities to their ancestral roots. The release coincides with Native American Heritage Month, bringing this history to a statewide audience.

The miniseries release is set for November 16, 2026, on Connecticut Public. A contingent of 50 Bermudians travelled to Connecticut this year for the Schemitzun powwow hosted by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation.

The players

Connecticut Public

Connecticut Public is the state's public media broadcaster, producing and distributing documentary programming for audiences across Connecticut.

Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation

The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation is a federally recognized tribe in Connecticut that hosts the Schemitzun powwow.

The details

A film crew from Connecticut Public visited St David's in May, meeting elders St Clair 'Brinky' Tucker, Ronnie Chameau and Elaine Fox and filming at the National Museum of Bermuda and the Bermuda Archives. Researchers have found that St David's residents descend from enslaved Pequot, Narragansett and Wampanoag Indians trafficked during the 1636-1638 Pequot War and the 1675-76 King Philip's War.

1636-1638: Pequot War, one of the deadliest events in early colonial America.
1675-76: King Philip's War trafficked enslaved Native Americans to Bermuda.
May 2026: Film crew visits St David's and meets elders.
November 16, 2026: Reconnection releases on Connecticut Public.

Historical Context

The series centres on descendants of Native people sold into slavery during King Philip's War in 1675-76, a conflict that trafficked Native Americans to Bermuda. Its telling of these ancestral links places the story within a documented history of the transatlantic trade in enslaved Native people.

Viewers in Connecticut can watch Reconnection on Connecticut Public when it releases on November 16, 2026. The St David's community's November 28 libation ceremony and potluck social is open for residents to attend.

The takeaway

The miniseries shows how a community's history of forced migration can be reconstructed through family records and local memory. Readers interested in this heritage can follow the November 16 broadcast to see how the ancestral links were documented.

What happens next

Reconnection releases on Connecticut Public on November 16, 2026. The St David's Islanders and Native Community will hold a libation ceremony and potluck social on November 28 at St David's Primary School Hall.