Shinnecock Renew Protests Over Slow Pace Of Town's Preservation Of Sacred Land

What a difference six months can make.

Last July, members of the Shinnecock Nation gathered triumphantly on a warm, hazy summer’s night to celebrate Southampton Town’s purchase of the development rights to a key a parcel atop Sugar Loaf Hill in Shinnecock Hills that tribe members said was their most sacred burial ground.

On Monday, under a cold winter’s rain, a small group of tribe members and their supporters gathered again, a short distance away on the shoulder of Montauk Highway, to protest what they said was the continued desecration of sacred land — specifically, a parcel at 503 Montauk Highway, which has been largely cleared and marked by a Saunders Realty “for sale” sign.

Becky Genia, a leader of the Shinnecock Graves Protection Warrior Society, said tribe members who had also protested in January 2020 had been told at that time by the town that the property in question had already been preserved.

But when they saw site preparation work begin, they were told that “the owner wasn’t willing to sell,” she said.

If they had known that, she said, “we would have never left in January 2020. We would have kept on fighting if that was the case.”

Protesters held signs with messages like “Stop Desecrating Shinnecock Hills,” “Native Cemeteries Marked for Sale” and “Community Preservation Fraud.”

Genia held one with a with a message directed at Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman: “Another McMansion on Indian Graves Over My Dead Body, Jay!” it read.

She said the town has plenty of money in its Community Preservation Fund coffers to protect the land, but charged that officials have been content to allow developers to have their way. The town, she added, was ignoring the very graves protection legislation it enacted just last year.

“It’s just really snaky and sneaky,” she said.

Genia also broke the news that Jo-Ann McLean, who was hired last year as the town’s official archaeologist, had resigned in protest over the town’s handling of the Shinnecock land.

The supervisor confirmed that McLean had stepped down. He said he was disappointed by her decision but said the Town Board would move swiftly to replace her.

Despite Genia’s criticism, Schneiderman said the town had made preservation of sensitive land in Shinnecock Hills one of its top priorities. “We have done outreach to property owners to see if they are interested in selling to us,” he said. “There have been some fairly large properties we have been acquiring quietly.” He added that the town had purchased several other lots near the area targeted for Monday’s protest.

But Schneiderman said the town’s CPF law required a willing seller. “I’ve been told the owner was not interested at this time,” he said, adding that the town would continue to try to bring the owner to the negotiating table.

He said before the property owner began to build, he would be required to undertake an archaeological study to make sure there were no Shinnecock remains there.

Genia said the Hawthorne Road discovery should have spurred the town to take immediate action to prevent further desecrations.

“We aren’t talking about a million years ago. We’re talking about a couple of years ago when we told you these were cemeteries,” she said. “But you refused to believe us. You refused to acknowledge the cultural significance. So, here we are again, and we are not giving up.”

Genia said protesters would stay at the site until 4 p.m. and return again, if necessary.

Many passing cars slowed, their drivers honking their horns in support. But one black BMW slowed to a crawl, and a woman in the passenger seat opened her window, telling the protesters to leave.

“You’ve already got all that land,” she said, pointing across the street toward Sugar Loaf.