Letters

Our sacred Shinnecock Hills have been at the heart of Shinnecock culture — our place of burials; our place from which we spied a pod of whales to begin the “pauduwe,” so that our people could give thanks and share the whale meat that sustained us for thousands of years. The place where our ancestors gathered for June Meeting long before the whites came to our land, and long before they began violence against our people, our land and our waters.

Our sacred Shinnecock Hills are our aboriginal territory, and the soil itself holds our DNA.

Yet non-Native municipalities continue to desecrate burials, destroy natural habitat and threaten our people. In January, New York State announced a plan to bring violence against our monuments, which are constructed on our own land — land within our possession and control.

New York State and its Department of Transportation have threatened to attack our territory and our economic enterprise. New York State’s and the State DOT’s attempt to intimidate us with scare tactics, including continued lawsuits, fines and physical action. The DOT is trying to bully us with trespass and the actual destruction of our monuments.

This cannot go unaddressed! We have no choice but to take this violent promise at face value.

Our Shinnecock Nation members camped peacefully on this same section of Shinnecock Territory during the month of November 2020, offering education and conversation to any and all who would be willing to observe the COVID-19 protocols and learn about Shinnecock and the importance of our monuments. The governor was disinclined to accept this invitation.

Time is of the essence as these threats of New York State violence and destruction place our land and our people in immediate jeopardy. Because we were threatened in writing, I have no doubt that plans are being made for state employees to both trespass and destroy our monuments before February 2021 is over.

I remember witnessing the New York State Police physically attack my sister; I remember witnessing the New York State Police break the arm of one of the elderly allies of our Shinnecock Nation when we gathered peacefully to bring attention of the continued defilement of our land — classified “archaeologically sensitive.” The same New York State that threatens to bring further violence to those of us whose land is continually violated by the Town of Southampton and the State of New York.

Shine a light on this violence! Shine a light on these threats! Contact your spiritual leaders, your governmental leaders and all who are interested in justice for the Shinnecock.

Tabutne.

The Reverend Holly Haile Thompson, D.D.

Shinnecock Territory