The Pequots were also state recognized besides the one below before they got federal recognition. Both of these groups may have been like some of the Virginia groups who have long standing as state recognized. Without doing more research I couldn't say for sure.
To read the whole press release go to:
Attorney General: Attorney General Files Brief Supporting Denial Of Federal Recognition For Nipmuc Indians
Attorney General Files Brief Supporting
Denial Of Federal Recognition For Nipmuc Indians
In 2001, the Bureau of Acknowledgment and Research (BAR), the BIA's professional staff charged with reviewing and recommending action on petitions for federal tribal recognition, recommended that both Nipmuc bands be denied federal recognition for failing to meet several of the seven mandatory recognition criteria. On January 19, 2002, in the waning hours of the Clinton Administration, the BIA's Acting Assistant Secretary made a preliminary finding that the Nipmuc Nation had satisfied the mandatory criteria, contrary to the recommendation of the BAR. However, the preliminary finding had not been reviewed for legal sufficiency and was never published in the Federal Register. It, therefore, never became a completed agency action. After review by Secretary McCaleb, the recommendations of the BAR staff were approved, and a proposed finding that the Nipmuc Nation did not satisfy the mandatory criteria was published in the Federal Register. McCaleb also reviewed the recommendation for the Webster/Dudley Band and concluded that it, too, did not meet the mandatory criteria.