Aurelius H. Piper Sr. (August 31, 1916 – August 3, 2008), also known as Big Eagle or Chief Big Eagle, was the hereditary

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation of

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from 1959 until 2008.

Early life

Piper served in the United States military during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and took part in the American landings during the North African Campaign.

Hereditary chief

Piper was named hereditary chief of the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation by his mother, Chieftess Rising Star, in 1959. Piper later took up residence in the Paugussett's quarter-acre

reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...

Trumbull, Connecticut Trumbull is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders on the cities of Bridgeport and Shelton and the towns of Stratford, Fairfield, Easton and Monroe. The population was 36,827 during the 2020 census. Trumbul ...

. Piper traveled extensively as a representative of the Golden Hill Paugussett and other Native American groups to campaign for the rights of ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples. He visited Moscow as part of a delegation of Native Americans. Piper also wrote for the '' De Kiva Journal'' as an eastern North American Indian

foreign correspondent A correspondent or on-the-scene reporter is usually a journalist or commentator for a magazine, or an agent who contributes reports to a newspaper, or radio or television news, or another type of company, from a remote, often distant, locati ...

. The De Kivas advocates for Native American rights before the International Human Rights Council in

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and is based in

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and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Piper's son, Kenneth, who is also known as Moonface Bear, was involved on a ten-week standoff between

Connecticut State Police The Connecticut State Police (CSP) is a division of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Connecticut, especially in areas not served by ...

and the

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a New England town, town in New London County, Connecticut, New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecti ...

, branch of the Golden Hill Paugussett. The standoff stemmed from the illegal sale of untaxed cigarettes on the Colchester portion of the reservation. Kenneth Piper died in 1996. Piper served on the boards of several Connecticut organizations which advocated for Native American and minority rights. He also served as a "spiritual liaison" for Native Americans in prison. He was named chief of the century by the

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chapter of the White Buffalo Society "for his work in furthering Native American causes in Connecticut, across the country, and abroad."

"It is a sacred obligation", says the Golden Hill Paugussett Chief, Big Eagle. "Indian people must keep their languages alive. If the language is not spoken, it must be made to live again."

Piper was the subject of the book '' Quarter Acre of Heartache'' which is attributed to Claude Clayton Smith but is primarily written by Piper. The book details the history of the Paugussett Indian Nation and the fight to save what was left of their tribal land- a quarter acre property in suburban

Death

Aurelius H. Piper Sr. died of natural causes on August 3, 2008, at the Golden Hill reservation in Trumbull, Connecticut, at the age of 92. He was survived by his wife, Marsha Conte Piper; five children; several stepchildren, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. A spokesman for the Golden Hill Paugussett confirmed that Piper's son, Aurelius H. Piper Jr., who is also known as Chief Quiet Hawk, will assume the title of hereditary chief from his father.

Background

Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation is a small tribe with tiny Connecticut reservations in both Trumbull and Colchester. It has been an officially recognized tribe by the state of Connecticut for approximately 300 years. However, the

United States Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...

has repeatedly refused the tribe's request for federal recognition. The last refusal came in 2004. The Golden Hill Paugusett had originally claimed more than of land during its fight for federal recognition. The tribe's land claim included an area stretching from Middletown to Wilton and from Greenwich, Connecticut, through lower portions of

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, which set off legal challenges against the tribe's recognition attempts. The Golden Hill Paugussett has dropped these far reaching land claims, but could revive them if federal recognition is eventually achieved.

References

External links

* Novak, Viveca & Thompson, Mark (March 6, 2000)
"The Lost Tribe?"
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

''. 155 (9). {{DEFAULTSORT:Piper, Aurelius H. Sr. 1916 births 2008 deaths Native American activists People from Trumbull, Connecticut Native American United States military personnel American military personnel of World War II Native American people from Connecticut