Chief Harry
Wallace by the community dock constructed with the help
of the participants in the summer youth project. |
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The
Land the Environment
(Brief History Cont.)
The Unkechaug did not practice a migratory lifestyle nor were they regionally
displaced or relocated outside Long Island by the arrival of the settlers. The
Unkechaug remained in their homeland for practical reasons, access to food, clothing,
and shelter, as well as traditions
that tied them to the land and the environment. The homeland allowed the Unkechaug
to reinforce their spiritual values, preserve cultural practices, and build an
economy. In 1640 the English were dumbfounded by the Unkechaug's agricultural
practice they called "Indian bames" in which the Unkechaug would dig
deep holes in selected earth sites, put up stores for winter, and cover them
with durable mats woven from plants known to grow naturally and locally. The
English thought the land would be better used for livestock and pasture. A Dutchman,
Issack de Rasiers, observed the indigenous planting system that heaped up molehills
sowed with grains, fertilized by fish, and irrigated by redirecting natural waterways
and thought the use of the land provided for the native families well beyond
their subsistence. European merchants who interacted with the Unkechaug were
envious of the natural resources around which the native villages had been built
and which provided for the Unkechaug.
Long Island was known as Sewanhacky or "the place of Shells"
in the Algonquin language. The Shells found on Long Island were particularly
prized in the making of wampum by the Iroquois and other peoples.
The Dutch developed a system of monetary exchange through the use
of wampum. The Dutch made an economic impact on trading systems in
the New World and in Europe by inflating this natural resource while
devaluing furs and pelts among Native peoples. The English followed
suit andadvanced the technology for wampum production by introducing
steel drills into the process. Diseases and economic demands pressured
the Unkechaug to give up their stewardship of the land and natural
resources by diverting it's use. Radically adapting technology replaced
traditional cultural practices. Although the land base of the Poospatuck
Reservation today is reduced, the natural resources are still valuable
to the Unckechaug in maintaining the legacy of their traditions.
The Unkechaug are committed to maintaining the environment and restoring
the cultural and scientific legacy for future generations. The Unkechaug
want to involve their elders and those with traditional knowledge
in mainstream preservation and scientific research efforts. Crop
cultivation, waterways protection, and shoreline improvement are
high priorities in managing natural resources and restoring our legacy
to the land and the environment. We envision a new partnership with
our neighbors, such as SUNY and Cornell Cooperative Extension, to
bring back the traditional "samp" strain as part of the
18 million ears of corn that are grown annually on Long Island. We
are also committed to restoring Poospatuck Bay (Moriches Bay) by
extending the level and species of fish and restoring beneficial
vegetation. The Unkechaug are committed to improving and expanding
the inadequate land base at Poospatuck, serving our tribal members,
and restoring the legacy of our land and environment.
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