The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-01-31
THE LAST OF THE TRIBE.
How the Shinnecock Indians of Long Island
hnve Died Out.-The Best of their Young
Men Lost by the Circnssian's Wreck.

of Indians whose history is a strange one
is practically oblterated. Ten stalwart
young men OF the Shinnecock tribe, which
before the disaster numbered 1877 souls,
lost their lives on that night, and the vii
lage is now desolate indeed, being bereft
of it's most active and energetic workers.
The history of the Long Island Indians
is one Of peculiar interest.
At the time of the European discovery
of Long Island there were twelve distinct
tribes of Indians inhabiting it. On the
north shore of the island, numbering
from west to east, there were the Matin-
ecock, Nissequag, Setalcott and Corchang
tribes. On the south side, in the same
order, the were the Canarsee, Rockaway,
Merric, Marsapeague, Secatogue, Patch
ogue, Shinnecock and Montauk tribes
This latter tribe had subdued all those
east of Canarsee, and one of its chiefs,
Wyandauk by name, was the grand
sachem of Long Island. This confeder
alton was, however, itself under tribute
to the more powerful Pequot nation of
eastern Connecticut, the Canarsee tribe
being under tribute to the Mohawk ma
ton, and obliged to pay an annual assess
ment of wampum and dried clans. Re-
fusing to do this on one occasion, they
were wiped from existence by the Mo-
hawks. It may have been this affair
which induced the other tribes of the
island to appeal to the white man for pro-
lection in 1864, however, the chiefs of
all the Eastern tribes. placed themselves
under the control of the commissioners
of the colonies of New England for coun-
sci and protection. 1t is probable that
the ravages of terrible disease in 1866,
which destroyed nearly two-thirds of the
Indians of Long Island, was the cause OF
this movement. These Indians had, how
ever, from the very first, been on friendly
terms with the whites, which is attributed
by the several writer's of histories OF
Long Island to the kind and just course
invariably pursued toward them by the
Europeans. They were very little inter-
; ferel with by the whites, the Dukes law,
made in 1865, which prohibited the pa,c-
pau, form of worship to the devil,
being the only interference recorded in
early history of their dealing with the
white men. Civilization among them
was thus made comparatively easy mat
ter, and from the first, the tribes ct the
eastern end of the island exhibited in
dustrious habits, none more so thap this
! poor tribe, the Shinnecocks, who inhabit-
ed the barren hills and adjacent country
in what is now the township of South
ampton, Suffolk county.
J On the sixteenth of August, 1703, the
people of Southampton purchased of this
tribe the land they occupied, and gave
them thousand years lease of what was
called Shinnecock tract, and which i'll
cluded the hills, with the neck of land
adjoining on the southeast. BY the terms
of this lease they were "allowed the
privilege of plowing, planting and cut
ting timber for fencing and fuel; also to
cut flags, bulrushes, and such grasses as
| they use in making mats and houses.
The township reserved to itself meadows,
marshes, grass, herbage, feeding pastrlr-
age, timber, stone and convenient high
ways. That the poor Shinnecock tribe
improved itself, even under these disad-
vantages, is proved by their subsequent
history and by the rising up among them
of men endowed with no inferior talents.
Somewhere about 1750 Rev. Peter John,
native of the tribe, went forth to labor
among his Indian brethren, and sue
ceeded in establishing churches at Wad-
ing river, Poosepatuck and Islip. Peter
John was followed in 1890 by the famous
Paul Cuffee, also SEinnecock.
After one hundred and fifty years of
living under the embarrassing terms Of
this lease the Shinnecocks sought for
better terms, and on March Is, 1859,
there was a change made in the lease,
and they were given the absolute owner
ship of that portion Of Shinnecock neck
which lies on the southeast boundary of
the hills.
The last census put their number at
1877 men, women and children, the pro-
portions being about the same as with
white people. Five children in each
family is the average. The majority are
partly African; but one family is pure
Indian, that of John Walker, who per-
ished in the wreck. He left wife and
eight children. His father was Shine
coed and his mother a Montauk. His
wife is pure Indian.
The men are mainly employed in fish,
ing and whaling, few hiring as farm
hands. The former are noted as excel
lent cooks, and furnish most of the do
mestic service of that region. The tribal
organization is very simple. They are
governed by three trustees, who are
elected annually at the regular township
meetings, The three last elected trust
ees, including John Walker, weae lost i'll
the wreck. The home lots and farms
vary faom small garden to twenty-five
acres Their allotment rests entirely with
the trustees, who may, at any time, i'll
crease or decrease the amount of land in
the possession of any person.
The leases not being perpetual, when
Shinnecock dies all the improvements
in the shape of cultivation, clearing,
fencing and building revert to the tribe,
and the trustees may reallot them to per-
sons who are utter strangers to the dead
man. Moreover, an Indian cannot lease
or sub-let the land allotted to him. These
facts have had q very depressing influence
upon the attempts of the aborigines to
cultivate the reservation, and have driven
them to settle outside. Numbers of them
are now scattered all over the United
! States. They have at their Long Island
home two ordinary district schools and
two churches One of the latter is Con-
gregational and the other is of the Sec
ond Advent denomination.
The singular organization of the Long
Island Indians seems to have been
effected with but little help from the
whites. The Montauks on the end of
the island retain their old tribal system
intact, but only twelve Of them remain,
and one OF these is King Pharaoh. He
holds as perquisite the right of pastnr-
age on the Montauk hills, and persons
wishing to pasture have to "see" the
king. When Pharaoh's father died, ten or
twelve years ago, the uncle of the pres
ent king succeeded to the throne, but
Pharaoh, made courageous and vicious
by whisky, gathered his familiars and so
terrified his uncle by threats that the
latter resigned, and "Pharach reigned
in his stead" These Montallks were
always known as war1ike tribe, but they
,pnra oriTo1ad and most of them SHIN in