New-York tribune., 1902-08-17
A VANISHING TRIBE.
THE DECAY OF TIE SHINNE-
COCK INDIANS.
rrrF MEN LAZY AND THE RESERVATION
rNCARED FOR-PLANS FOR THEIR
BETTERMENT-ME OF
THE OLD DAYS.

THE OLD DAYS
The last Of the shinnecocks. once second only 10
the Montauks as the most powerful tribe on Long
Island. are working out their life problem on d
narrow neck of beautiful. low land which proJec'S
into Shinnecock Bay. between Southampton anu
Sb;unecock HIS There they live in the lazy pow
erty that comes of their sadly mixed blood inter
marry and slowly decrease in numbers There iho7'
of them will die and eventually the younger
1ribesu1en viii become dissatisfied with their mar
life and sell the little reservation gwen ~ 'i'--
by the State
Surrounding the Shinnecock lands on three sides
are magnificent country homes Of wealthy New
Workers. On the fourth side is the bay on "hlch
the city people sail their small yachts IN the as
tsnt background rise the ShInuecock t1l'ls, luIheu
.nto one Of the best known golf grounds in the
country All this the Shinnecocks once owned. This
luxury on every side accentuates the poverty OF the
Indians yet It furnishes them with means Of live
ltbood The large houses need many servants and
Indian women and children make good ones under
-,ror,er direction The stables must have attend
ants and the men of the tribe find work In thefn
for five months in the year. They get enough from
this summer work tide them over the long WIN
ter which most of them spend in idleness
The Shinnecock reservation consists OF -FOUR nun
cred acres OF fine agricultural land. less than
third Of which under cultivation 1t IS goNeIIIeo
nv three trustees elected by the Indians from their
own number. OF the trustees now in office one
-nows the turf at the Shinnecock Hills golf GROUNDS
and another cares for the polo field Of the Meauo"
Brook Club, in Southampton The lana Is hell III
common and Il open 10 cultivation by any lnenlDeI
Of the tribe ore wishing TO start = slHe' ~
selects an unoccupied plot Of land, and claims II
1,efore the trustees He plant upon it as many
years as he likes is not allowed to lease OF sen
it If he abandons II for year he mas no l"i 'lei
claim on 1t. The land Is fertile, and VIII ra-se
large crops for which :here is good market win
~, ,rnr,ar colony but in spite Of all this, ne at
,er,nt has eye1 been made 10 cultivate two-thiros
OF the land
The reservation begins where the principal resi-
oence street Of Southampton ends A slI"ee-i-e
array Of shacls and cabins built on either size oI
a crooked road meets The eye MOST Oh lieHi
have not been seriously repaired in twenty years
and they were old then. Their condition can De
Imagined. About each house IS COLLECTION OF ou'-
buildings many Of which are laughable STABLES
are so small that the horses heads and the tongue
of wagons stick through. convenient holes puncheo
.n the walls Bugges, wagons and moving MA
chimes are allowed TO stand in the open me yea
round one old Indian has built chicken houss ~
which is almost large as his dWellhs, anu
Saoo-s.a5 Ike a Japanese pagoda, while the house
IS absolutely bare -,
II the early davs Of the reservation, when the
men Of the tribe sturdy followers OF the sea
tn whaling and merchant vessels each man TOOK
saa a., bis babftatiou Almost every house was
surrounded by a fine grove OF trees, when was
preserved with something akin TO reverence IouaS
there is just house which has Its orlelll8t ei
The others have been cut down for hrewood IN the
-. ,,a,a,,sa the owners were too lazy TO make
. rim TO Good Ground, where the tribe owns
wood lot. -
A. +he main road through the reservation ap-
.ctee its last wfndings one comes TO the church'
schoolhouse and parsonage. three IN a row. an
s.5a5 over nv 4 colored Presbyterian clergyIna
the Rev T H Lakeland. He came to SllhhecocA
from the South three years ago, strange even 10
the customs Of Northern whites he TOOK Wen Win
the Indians and both church and school nave pros
,ara6 He has so little hope Of effecting perma-
nent reform. however, that ne has resigned ana
zziI1 return to the South in September
He was found talking earnestly 10 young
Indian, devising plan "IiCH ~ 49, -. So ~
the Indians work in the winter. and one which ne
.btnLs would be of great financial beneht TO the
tribe 1t is nothing less than an automoblIe race
track around the reservation
..Rut the Indians hardly afford horses and
wagons. TO say nothing of automobiles" remarked
the reporter. 80 -
..you forget that We surrounded with rich
neopie here" replied the minister They own auto
mobiles and would speed them II there were gooo
+rack Our Young men have little TO occupy them
,n the winters They could grade roadway sixty
60 t5e around the reservation following the shore
closely on the bay side 1t would be practically level
and there is nothing into but rabbits We
could charge a substantial toll and the road could
he kent I'D without much expense
..The toll would be nice" said the young Indian,
h,,t ne did not seem 10 strongly in favor Of the
r,roposition for winter work.
The sbinnecocks are divided into two parties just
ozpr
oP -he Sbinnecock Hills. which Newly orkers
have built many fine country places. They sold the
land years ago. and their claim will be diff1cut to
-z-oxe Attorneys have been at work among them
n6eavoring to raise funds bring suit against the
present owners.
They can never hope TO win said the pastor.
e. land / have talked against bringing suit 1t has
divided the reservation. and the discussion keeps
them stirred up. Il would be better for them to
sell the land they still hold and out into the
s. isolation about
fiou life which is injurious. Intermarriage Is one
of the worst features, and the Shinnecocks seldom
marry outside the reservation. They need ne"
blood and new life. They will not get il here.
Unless a stranger had been told beforehand that
he was on an Indian reservation he would hardly
suspect il the appearance Of the people There
IS not single fun blooded Indian in the tribe and
negro features predominant Charles Bum, one Of
the trustees looks more like an Indian than most
OF the other men Mary Brewer. the only one OF
the tribe who remembers how to weave Indian
baskets is a half breed. Andrew Cuffee. one or
the Oldest men on reservation, says he is the
nearest TO fun blooded red man, and has many
Indian features but negro blood flows in his viens.