North Amityville street markers recognize history of Montaukett Indian Nation in the community

One of the first native groups to inhabit Long Island has received a sign — or rather multiple signs — of recognition.

The Town of Babylon recently installed heritage designation markers on six streets in North Amityville to acknowledge the history of the Montaukett Indian Nation in the community.

"They are recognizing the fact that we are still here and that we have always been here and we’re not going anywhere," said Sandi Brewster-Walker, executive director and government affairs officer of the Montaukett Indian Nation. "We might live in different places right now but this was our land."

The markers display the Montaukett seal, which has the words "We are still here!" on it, a cry that the Native American tribe has been making for decades after a state Supreme Court judge ruled them extinct in 1910. The group continues to push legislative efforts to restore state recognition of their tribe.

In North Amityville, the Montauketts have been fighting a planned condo development on land they say contain native remains. Babylon Town spokesman Kevin Bonner said after an archaeologist hired by the developer submitted a report on the site, the state has now cleared that development to proceed.

Babylon Town historian Mary Cascone said the streets picked by the town bear the names of Montaukett families that have long histories there: Fowler, Hunter, Devine, Brewster, Steele and Miller. Among the most famous family members was Charles Devine Brewster, a Civil War veteran who helped fight for racial integration of local schools and who in 1893 became the first person of color elected in the town, where he served as game constable.

"We want the Montauketts to be able to say, these streets were our ancestral home," Cascone said. "But also we want to show that the Town of Babylon, we won’t forget that this is a part of our history,"

The Montauketts, found throughout Long Island, were self-sufficient and were fishermen, whalers, farmers and business people, Brewster-Walker said. Among the many misconceptions and confusion about the Montauketts and other East Coast Native Americans is that "we never looked like the TV Indians," she said, and come in all shades.

Many of the Montaukett families intermarried over the years, said Brewster-Walker, who grew up on Brewster Lane in North Amityville. In fact, the six families often refer to each other as cousins.

Going to school in Amityville, "every class I took there was always at least one of my cousins in the class whether a Fowler, a Devine or a Brewster," said Philip Capel, 60, of the Bronx, whose mother Christine Hunter grew up on Hunter Court.

Capel said he thinks the markers are needed.

"It’s been a long time coming," he said. "I think it’s really beautiful because a lot of people aren’t aware of the history of Long Island so having these markers is a good way to acknowledge the ancestors of many people."

Brewster-Walker said she couldn’t stop smiling when the markers were unveiled.

"It means a lot," she said. "We’ve been up against colonialism, racism, you name it, but we’re still here."

By Denise M. Bonilla

denise.bonilla@newsday.comdenisebonilla

Denise Bonilla has worked at Newsday since 2003 and covers the Town of Babylon, including the villages of Lindenhurst and Amityville.