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Shinnecock Reclaim Ancestral Burial Ground | 27Speaks Podcast

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From left, Tela Troge, John v.H. Halsey and Denise Silva-Dennis at an abandoned house in Shinnecock Hills currently being considered for landmark status by Southampton Town. The Peconic Land Trust owns the land and is co-managing it with the Shinnecock-led Niamuck Land Trust. Both groups want the house removed from the site, which is an ancient Shinnecock burial ground — but some residents are hoping to relocate the home, which was originally built more than 100 years ago and had undergone extensive renovation before being abandoned during a bankruptcy proceeding. DANA SHAW

From left, Tela Troge, John v.H. Halsey and Denise Silva-Dennis at an abandoned house in Shinnecock Hills currently being considered for landmark status by Southampton Town. The Peconic Land Trust owns the land and is co-managing it with the Shinnecock-led Niamuck Land Trust. Both groups want the house removed from the site, which is an ancient Shinnecock burial ground — but some residents are hoping to relocate the home, which was originally built more than 100 years ago and had undergone extensive renovation before being abandoned during a bankruptcy proceeding. DANA SHAW

27Speaks on Jun 27, 2024

In Shinnecock Hills, an ancestral Shinnecock burial ground is back in the hands of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. The site is adjacent to the summit of Sugar Loaf Hill, land that has been used by the Shinnecock and other Indigenous people from as far away as New England for cremation and interment. A house deemed historic, but not yet landmarked, sits on the land, and the question of what to do with the house remains. Shinnecock Indian Nation tribal attorney and Niamuck Land Trust Executive Director Tela Troge, Peconic Land Trust President John v.H. Halsey and Express News Group reporter Cailin Riley join the editors on the podcast to talk about the significance of the site and the effort by others to preserve the house there.

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