Robin Cassacinamon became the most influential Pequot leader in the decades after the Pequot War, and under his leadership, the Pequots regained a significant degree of political strength.  In the 1640s he was recognized as the sachem of a group of Pequots who had been forced to live under the rule of the Mohegans in an area called Nameag, near present-day New London. Although forbidden to use the name “Pequot” by the treaty that ended the war, under Cassacinamon this group of Pequots reasserted its tribal identity.

Cassacinamon’s success hinged on his ability to gain the friendship and protection of English colonists at Nameag, near present-day New London.   For this, Cassacinamon was uniquely qualified.  He had been a trusted associate of the colony’s leader, John Winthrop, Jr., since spending time as a servant in Winthrop’s father’s house.  In fact, Governor Winthrop chose Nameag as a site for his colony on Cassacinamon’s advice. 

By enlisting the support of John Winthrop, Jr., Cassacinamon was able to gain Pequot independence from the Mohegans.  Soon the Pequots also aquired land, including the reservation at Mashantucket.   Well before Cassacinamon’s death in 1692, this branch of the tribe had been reestablished in traditional Pequot territory.

The sachems of other tribes in New England, and even beyond, came to recognize Cassacinamon as an influential leader.  Cassacinamon’s legacy remains important to the Pequots today: they have made his signature, or mark, the symbol of the tribe.