Letters

In following The Press’s continuing coverage of the Shinnecock, there seems to be a trend wherein the newspaper has become an apologist for the tribe. According to your recent stories, they are always, seemingly, fighting against the inhumanities perpetrated by the East End white man.

During olden times, it was the rapacious English Southamptoners who confiscated their land and impoverished their people. Now, it’s the Town of Southampton officials who frustrate the tribe’s “inherent” right to bully the town, legally, by invoking their so-called “sovereign” rights as a “nation.”

The sovereign status of the Shinnecock is a discussion for another day. Today, we complain about the hyperbole of your reporter, Michael Wright.

In last week’s article [“Shinnecock Celebrate Purchase of Hampton Bays Land, Next Door to Halted Gas Station Project,” 27east.com, May 23], Mr. Wright, referring to the most recent land parcel purchased by the tribe, states that it “marks a crucial new step in the tribe’s vision of undoing the often underhanded and illegal deals that had stripped the Shinnecock of land over the centuries, even though it had to be purchased.”

That’s a pretty bold statement by Mr. Wright. Indeed, the largest land transfer “suffered” by the Shinnecock over the last 350 years was the Quogue Purchase in 1659. (That tract ran from Hampton Bays to Remsenburg.) Not underhanded, certainly not illegal — heavily negotiated and documented. In fact, the founder of Quogue, John Ogden, actually saved the Shinnecock by doing that real estate deal.

A bit of background might be helpful. Back in 1657, Shinnecock braves burned the house of Edward Howell, a prominent Southampton freeholder. The outraged Southamptoners prepared for war, but the paramount chief of the nearby Montauk tribe, Wyandanch, interceded and negotiated a peaceful settlement that called for the Shinnecock to punish the brave and pay Southampton an indemnity of £500. As part of the deal, Wyandanch guaranteed the payment and assumed suzerainty over the Shinnecock’s area known as Quaquanantuck, now called Quogue.

Since the Shinnecock had no way of paying such a large sum, the Southampton magistrates took back an IOU, informally guaranteed by Wyandanch. Several years later, as the IOU was nearing its maturity and subject to a likely default — which would inevitably have set off another round of colonial-Indian fighting — Ogden bought the IOU from the Southampton magistrates and presented it to Wyandanch as payment, along with a small stipend for Wyandanch, and purchased Quogue. The Shinnecock had their IOU canceled, Chief Wyandanch was relieved of his guarantee, the Shinnecock transferred the land known as Quaquanantuck, and John Ogden became the founder of Quogue. Crisis and warfare averted.

In no way could that transaction be considered “underhanded” or “illegal,” unless you consider Chief Wyandanch to have been overreaching in demanding tangible consideration for his guarantee.

Mark J. Schulte

Quogue