Shinnecock Nation marks first purchase of privately held land with ceremony

The Shinnecock Indian Nation on Wednesday celebrated the purchase of a parcel of land adjacent to its Westwoods property in Hampton Bays, saying it’s the first time the tribe has been able to acquire a privately held parcel in 400 years.

The 7.88-acre property is adjacent to an 80-acre parcel the Shinnecock Nation is partly developing for a travel plaza-gas station, a plan begun last year that has pitted the Shinnecock Nation against the Town of Southampton, which has sued to block construction. The tribe has said the town’s suit is costing it about $22,000 a day amid a stop-work order by a Suffolk Supreme Court judge.

The newly purchased parcel, at 13 Indian Rd., is undeveloped and had been privately owned by Diane and Harold Holzman, county records show.

Amid the pounding of drums and song on the ancestral parcel, Shinnecock leaders said at a tribal ceremony Wednesday marking the occasion that the purchase was the fulfillment of a long tribal ambition and the first of many such acquisitions. 

"This has been a long journey," said Lisa Goree, chairwoman of the Shinnecock council of trustees, adding the purchase showed the stars coming into alignment for the nation. "This is our purpose," she said, and "just the beginning for us."

Tribal members pointed to the nearby gas station, still under construction and awaiting court approval to move ahead, saying it too would be completed.

Lance Gumbs, vice chairman of the Shinnecock council of trustees, called the purchase a "veryemotional moment." 

The cost wasn’t released but Gumbs said this and future acquisitions would get done "piece by piece and paycheck by paycheck" if need be.

Trustee Seneca Bowen credited the Shinnecock Sovereign Holdings tribal holding company, which worked with tribal and bank funds to pay for the land.

Shinnecock Nation spokeswoman Rebekah Wise said the tribe has no plan to develop the property at present. She called the acquisition a "beautiful moment" in the nation’s "land-back" push, spearheaded by tribal lawyer Tela Troge — an effort that seeks to reclaim parcels of land it previously held that were illegally annexed by developers and others.

Newsday in a 1998 investigation found that the process by which developers and the railroad annexed large swaths of Shinnecock Indian Nation and Montaukett Nation lands over the past 200 years was rife with "deceit, lies and possibly forgery." But members noted the purchase from the Holzman family was a joyful, emotional one at the signing by Goree.

The ceremony at the parcel Wednesday included a traditional "smudging," with cleansing smoke, song and prayer to "welcome the land back home to its rightful stewardship," the nation said. Unkechaug Nation Chief Harry Wallace and Shinnecock tribal member Shane Weeks led the ceremony. 

"This powerful gathering was not only a spiritual event, but a reaffirmation of the Shinnecock Nation’s enduring connection to their ancestral territory, which is vital to the community’s spirit, strength and resiliency," the Nation said.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.