I am EXCITED to announce the second edition of the physical On This Site - Native Long Island book published in 2023!!! This second edition and the entire project began and is sustained through the ongoing support of the national non-profit Running Strong for American Indian Youth @runstrong4aiy and The Dreamstarter Project - I am grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn and share about Shinnecock and Long Island Indigenous history since the project started in 2016.
****I invite you to attend Shinnecock Nation's annual Labor Day Weekend Powwow, where I will have 50 copies of the book, which I am happy to sign at our booth from Sept 1 - 4.
For those who cannot make it this weekend, here is a link to purchase online:
/This-Site-Native-Long-Island/dp/B0CG83BZ2M/
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Introduction
The Native peoples of Long Island view the natural ecosystem very differently than the Europeans. They saw the natural world around them as a living, sacred entity that must be respected and protected from overuse. The Native peoples had studied and learned about their homeland for thousands of years . Their hunting, fishing, and planting strategies conformed to the natural rhythms of the seasons.
The animal spirits were given thanks in elaborate rituals for sacrificing their earthly forms to feed the people. There was no obsession with "taming" the natural ecosystem . Instead, religious rituals were humbly performed to ask the spirits in control of the earth's resources to bestow their fruits on the people.
Lone Otter of the Unkechaug wrote in an epigraph, "the Great Mother of Earth and the Father in the Sun, and our grandmother the moon gave the people everything they needed, and the people praised them with song, dance, and gifts."
In 1761, Samson Occum’s diary reports on the fact that the Montauk and Shinnecock believed in many spiritual forces over different things such as fire, four directions, the sea, various vegetables as well as two main spiritual beings; Cauhluntoowut – Supreme being and Mutcheshesunnetooh, great evil being. Pow-waws (medicine-people) kept images, (carved figures) as fetishes or “oracles” that helped guide their ceremonies.
Powaws
Powaw were the spiritual leaders who conducted healing ceremonies in the pre-contact and early contact period. Some of their ceremonies were observed and briefly recorded by early colonists. In disapproval, the European colonists quickly eroded their power by attempting to disprove their spirituality, banning their practice, and converting their followers.
David Gardiner records his impressions of Powaw figures in 1840;
When the Powaws healed or conducted ceremonies, they received knowledge from visions. These ancient medicine people were powerful and could determine when dances or feasts were held, cure sickness, extract poison, evict evil spirits, cause influence to protect from; injury, drowning etc.
Rev. Samson Occum describes Powaws, in his An Account of the Montauk Indians on Long ...
On Mamanock Neck, a prehistoric Woodland camp and quartz arrowhead workshop site was found. Much of the material culture in this area suggesting human settlement was pottery fragments.
The area of Mamanock Neck covers the entirety of the neck of land of what is now south of East Moriches. This camp site only represents a fraction of what was found in contemporary time.
Image: Mamanock Neck
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/mamanock-neck/
Known as The Point to Shinnecock Reservation residents, this marshland has been used as a communal resource for fishing and hunting for many generations. Many of the Shinnecock youth continue to learn hunting skills by their parents here.
Snow Geese, Shade Bushes, and Huckleberries are among the varied natural resources utilized and respected in this area.
Image: The Point
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/the-point/
Unkechaug, a name for the nation of indigenous peoples living in Mastic, New York, translates to “people from beyond the hill.” Today, these hills are part of the Ronkonkoma Moraine, a chain of hills that span the center of Long Island. The Unkechaug Nations territory once ran along the south of the Ronkonkoma Moraine.
Image: Ronkonkoma Moraine
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/ronkonkoma-moraine/
A confused appreciation – In 1933, artist Elliott Brooks carved several relief sculptures, two in memory of the Montaukett and Poquatuck people of Long Islands east end. Later he describes desecrating a prehistoric burial,
“.. while I dig around for Indian relics, it proved to be a ceremonial burial mound, and I like to imagine that the Indian spirits led me to the cache in appreciation of my carving the memorial.”
Image: Elliot A Brook's Carvings
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/elliot-a-brooks-carvings/
In 2003, a group burial was discovering during residential development and a house barn construction, dating back to between 1400 to 1640 AD. Shinnecock tribal members argued against further disruption of the soil, seeing the proposed barn as a cemetery site.
Despite resistance, the private owners continued development while the remains were reburied in an undisclosed location on Shelter Island.
Image: Horse Barn Burial Site
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/horse-barn/
The Fresh Pond Site, located on Shelter Island, was a residential base camp with indications of year-round occupation. Evidence of this conclusion comes from the fire-cracked rock, shell, charcoal, hammerstones, choppers, drills, celts, scrapers, projectile points, pottery, and the two shellfish refuge pits found in the surrounding area.
Image: Fresh Pond Site
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/fresh-pond-site/
The Long Island National Wildlife Refuge Complex consists of seven national wildlife refuges, two refuge sub-units, and one wildlife management area. Collectively, the ten units are approximately 6,500 acres in size. Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge is home to the refuge complex headquarters and visitor center.
In 2011 the refuge opened. The opening concluded with an honoring and blessing ceremony conducted by members of the Unkechaug and Shinnecock Indian Nations.
Within the visitor center, an area of the museum is dedicated to the local Unkechaug tribal history in the area, reinforcing their connection to the land and sustainable lifestyle. The display is in collaboration with the Unkechaug, featuring drawings and beadwork from indigenous artists, family photographs, and quotes from tribal members that represent their story and values.
Image: Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/wertheim-national-wildlife-refuge/
Wegwagonock was once a large settlement in what is now the northern shore of Sag Harbor town. In around 1846, the ground containing burials and evidence of an Indian village were destroyed and used as stability material for the ship and oil yards.
Image: Wegwagonock
Read more and see other sites:
/listing/wegwagonock/
