Southampton to host first Shinnecock Heritage Day to bridge town, nation
One of many drum circles performed at the 78th annual Shinnecock Pow Wow in August. The Town of Southampton will host its first-ever Shinnecock Heritage Day on Tuesday. Credit: Elizabeth Sagarin
Southampton Town’s inaugural Shinnecock Heritage Day will be held Tuesday with a celebration of the federally recognized tribe’s 10,000-year history and its impact on Long Island.
The event serves to bridge the gap between the municipality and nation — a relationship that has been contentious at times, town officials and tribal members said.
Earlier this year, the Southampton town board voted to designate every Oct. 1 as Shinnecock Heritage Day, a recognition that tribal members called "long overdue." The day marks the 14th anniversary of the federal government's decision to recognize the Shinnecock as the United States' 565th federally recognized tribe.
To commemorate the day, the town will host a free two-hour event at town hall with traditional food tastings, ceremonies and a panel discussion. The talk will feature tribal members discussing the nation’s history and current state of affairs. The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m.
"It’s the first time the town has ever done anything like this, so it’s pretty significant," said Councilman Michael Iasilli, who led the effort to establish the heritage day.
Tribal members supported the idea of a Shinnecock Heritage Day in February when town board members formally adopted it.
Bryan Polite, the former chairman of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, is scheduled to speak on the panel along with Lisa Goree, the current chairwoman, as well as Bianca Collins, the council secretary, and others.
"It’s really an event for us to talk about the enormous amount of contributions, the enormous amount of cultural pride the Shinnecock Nation has provided to the Southampton community and also to Long Island as a whole," Polite said.
About 1,600 tribal members are currently enrolled in the nation, about 720 of whom live on its territory in Southampton, Polite said. The tribe contributes to the town in myriad ways, Polite said, adding that many members are nurses, police officers and educators.
Polite said he hopes the event can show people "who we are and kind of why we do the things we do when it comes to protecting our land to ensure that our future generations have a better economic prosperity than our former generations."
The nation is currently moving forward with a plan to build a 10-acre gas station and travel plaza along Sunrise Highway in Hampton Bays that has faced some community pushback.
Iasilli acknowledged there is "generational trauma" in the Indigenous communities over the way they have been historically treated. That's led to "mistrust" in government that can "be difficult to overcome," Iasilli said.
"I'm hopeful that we can try to create a more synergistic relationship for the future," he said.
Southampton Town’s inaugural Shinnecock Heritage Day will be held Tuesday with a celebration of the federally recognized tribe’s 10,000-year history and its impact on Long Island.
The event serves to bridge the gap between the municipality and nation — a relationship that has been contentious at times, town officials and tribal members said.
Earlier this year, the Southampton town board voted to designate every Oct. 1 as Shinnecock Heritage Day, a recognition that tribal members called "long overdue." The day marks the 14th anniversary of the federal government's decision to recognize the Shinnecock as the United States' 565th federally recognized tribe.
To commemorate the day, the town will host a free two-hour event at town hall with traditional food tastings, ceremonies and a panel discussion. The talk will feature tribal members discussing the nation’s history and current state of affairs. The event runs from 4 to 6 p.m.
"It’s the first time the town has ever done anything like this, so it’s pretty significant," said Councilman Michael Iasilli, who led the effort to establish the heritage day.
Tribal members supported the idea of a Shinnecock Heritage Day in February when town board members formally adopted it.
Bryan Polite, the former chairman of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, is scheduled to speak on the panel along with Lisa Goree, the current chairwoman, as well as Bianca Collins, the council secretary, and others.
"It’s really an event for us to talk about the enormous amount of contributions, the enormous amount of cultural pride the Shinnecock Nation has provided to the Southampton community and also to Long Island as a whole," Polite said.
About 1,600 tribal members are currently enrolled in the nation, about 720 of whom live on its territory in Southampton, Polite said. The tribe contributes to the town in myriad ways, Polite said, adding that many members are nurses, police officers and educators.
Polite said he hopes the event can show people "who we are and kind of why we do the things we do when it comes to protecting our land to ensure that our future generations have a better economic prosperity than our former generations."
The nation is currently moving forward with a plan to build a 10-acre gas station and travel plaza along Sunrise Highway in Hampton Bays that has faced some community pushback.
Iasilli acknowledged there is "generational trauma" in the Indigenous communities over the way they have been historically treated. That's led to "mistrust" in government that can "be difficult to overcome," Iasilli said.
"I'm hopeful that we can try to create a more synergistic relationship for the future," he said.
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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