The Untold Story of the First People of Long Island — Before Columbus, Before Colonization, Before Erasure.
“We didn’t come from somewhere else. We didn’t migrate here. We rose from this land. We are this land.” — Oral Teachings of the Shinnecock People
When History Erases The Originals
When people think of Indigenous tribes in the U.S., they rarely think of the Hamptons — the playground of the rich and famous.
But long before beachfront mansions and luxury cars, the Shinnecock Indian Nation lived and thrived on these shores for over 10,000 years — as Black Indigenous people of the land.
Their presence disrupts every colonial myth.
Because the Shinnecock are proof that Indigenous Americans were here before Columbus, before European contact, and long before the false narrative that Indigenous equals “Red Indian only” took hold.
Their story is one of ancient survival, mixed African and Indigenous heritage, and resilience against centuries of land theft and erasure.
The Black Indigenous Roots of the Shinnecock
The Shinnecock — like many coastal Indigenous nations from the Eastern Woodlands down into the Caribbean — have deep Black Indigenous ancestry.
Early European accounts even describe many East Coast tribes as dark-skinned, woolly-haired people — more African in appearance than the stereotypical “Hollywood Indian.”
This wasn’t unusual — it was truth.
Migrations between the Caribbean, West Africa, and the Americas were ancient — predating Columbus by thousands of years.
The Shinnecock were fishermen, whalers, and sea travelers — connected by oceanic trade routes, kinship, and shared spiritual systems.
Archaeological finds on Long Island show:
Pre-Columbian African trade beads Indigenous architecture similar to West Africa Burial practices echoing African traditions
The Shinnecock existed at the intersection of African, Indigenous American, and Caribbean worlds — long before 1492.
The Shinnecock Nation: People of the Stony Shore
The word Shinnecock means “People of the Stony Shore.”
For over 10,000 years, they lived on the eastern end of Long Island — a region abundant in fish, oysters, wild plants, and whaling waters.
They practiced:
Matrilineal inheritance (tracing through the mother’s line) Sacred shellcraft and wampum bead artistry Whale hunting rituals Farming, herbal medicine, and sustainable living practices
They were the original environmentalists, in tune with the rhythms of land and sea.
Colonization: The Theft of Black Indigenous Land
Colonization in the Hamptons was violent and systemic.
By 1640, English settlers arrived and began forcing the Shinnecock onto smaller and smaller portions of land.
Their ancestral territory — once stretching across eastern Long Island — was reduced to a 900-acre reservation in 1703.
Real estate developers later encroached even on this space, desecrating sacred burial grounds to build golf courses, luxury homes, and roads.
The same beaches celebrities now enjoy were once Shinnecock whaling waters.
The same land that sells for millions was stolen from Black Indigenous hands.
Erasure of Black Indigenous Identity
European colonizers weaponized race classifications to erase Black Indigenous people.
If an Indigenous person had African ancestry — they were often classified as “Black” only, removing their tribal identity from records.
This was intentional.
It allowed:
Theft of land rights Denial of sovereignty Erasure from census data Justification of anti-Black laws onto Indigenous bodies
But the Shinnecock resisted this erasure — preserving their oral traditions, their ceremonies, their burial sites, and their identity against all odds.
The Modern Struggle: Living on Stolen Land Beside Billionaires
Today, the Shinnecock Reservation remains surrounded by the ultra-wealthy world of the Hamptons.
Yet within their community exists:
Extreme housing shortages Health disparities Economic oppression Environmental injustice
But the fight continues.
The Shinnecock Nation today is:
Federally recognized (since 2010) Operating cannabis dispensaries for economic sovereignty Fighting to protect burial grounds and sacred sites Building the Shinnecock Monument Project — a bold reclaiming of visual space and economic empowerment in the Hamptons Reviving cultural traditions, language, and ceremonies.
The Bigger Truth: Indigenous = Black, Brown & Beyond
The Shinnecock story breaks the colonial lie that being Indigenous means fitting one racial stereotype.
Indigenous America has always been:
Black Brown Melanated Diverse Complex Sovereign before borders
From the Washitaw in Louisiana to the Yamasee in Georgia to the Shinnecock in New York — Black Indigenous nations are foundational to the true story of America.
Recovering our Buried Past, by Allison McGovern, gothamcenter.org
Final Reflection: We Are Still Here
“They thought putting us on a reservation would silence us. But we are the land. We are the water. We cannot be erased.” — Shinnecock Elder
The next time you see the luxury of the Hamptons — remember whose land it really is.
The Black Indigenous Shinnecock Nation — people of the stony shore — still rise.
Still resist.
Still remember.
References & Sources:
Shinnecock Nation Official Website — https://shinnecock-nsn.gov/
“For Shinnecock Indians, East End Land Battle Is Ancient.” — Newsday, 2017.
“This Tribe Lives in the Hamptons. But It’s a World Apart.” — The Washington Post, 2019.
Clyde Winters, Atlantis in Mexico: The Mound Builders’ African Legacy, 2005.
Ivan Van Sertima, They Came Before Columbus, 1976.
William Loren Katz, Black Indians: A Hidden Heritage, 1986.
Vine Deloria Jr., Custer Died for Your Sins, 1969.
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