No discussion about the history of Southampton College would be complete without a look at its long relationship with the Shinnecock Nation.
Since 1859, the Shinnecock, a federally recognized tribe, have had their land holdings reduced to a tract of roughly 900 acres on Shinnecock Neck that is known as the Shinnecock Territory. For hundreds of years before that, long before the arrival of European settlers and colonists, the Shinnecock people had a much vaster area of surrounding land they called home, including the 100-plus acres that make up the Southampton College campus, which is just a stone’s throw from the territory.
The portion of Shinnecock land that would become the college was taken from the tribe over the years in a series of suspect transactions that many now consider to have been outright illegal. In 1703, the European settlers, having already acquired most of the tribe’s land, agreed to lease back to the tribe thousands of acres, stretching from Southampton Village to Canoe Place. In 1859, once again under suspect circumstances, 21 tribe members were enticed to sign a petition asking the New York State Legislature to void the lease and give the tribe the small tract on Shinnecock Neck.
With the nation out of the way, the Southampton College property was developed in 1888 with a summer cottage for William S. Hoyt and his wife, Janet, who later convinced the artist William Merritt Chase to come to Southampton, where he taught art. And it was Janet Hoyt who would later move the famous windmill to the site.
In the 1890s, Arthur Claflin, who had made a fortune in the textile business, purchased the property and commissioned architect Grosvenor Atterbury to build a 30-room “cottage” with extensive views of the bay and ocean beyond, according to John Strong’s book, “Running on Empty: The Rise and Fall of Southampton College, 1963-2005.” Claflin lost the property during the Great Depression, and it sat idle until after World War II when Thomas Tucker Swartz purchased it and turned it into a resort, the Tucker Mill Inn. After Swartz’s death in 1962, his widow, Florence, sold the property to the college.
Like many academic institutions at the time, Southampton College struggled to achieve cultural and racial diversity in the earlier decades of its existence. While the loss of so much ancestral land to European settlers has left a lasting legacy of historical trauma — which is passed down through generations of Shinnecock people to this day — the college increasingly made efforts over the years to provide more opportunities for Shinnecock residents and students, and has several notable Shinnecock graduates. Many Shinnecock residents who did not attend the college were involved with the school in many other integral ways, as well.
Peter Silva was the first member of the Shinnecock Nation to attend the college, graduating in 1969. He was the vice president of his freshman class and, after graduating, he became an important liaison between the college and the Shinnecock community, according to Strong’s book. He went on to work as a guidance counselor in the Southampton Elementary School before pursuing a career in business. Harriett Crippen Brown Gumbs, who for years ran Shinnecock Outpost and was an outspoken advocate and activist, graduated from Southampton College with honors in 1975, going back to school when she was in her 50s, and Gordell Wright, a talented wampum artisan, would go on to serve as a Shinnecock trustee. They are just a few of the notable Shinnecock alums of the college.
As time went on, the college developed a better, more equitable relationship with the tribe, fostering cultural exchange and working together on various initiatives that were mutually beneficial for both students and tribal members. According to Strong’s book, the number of Shinnecock students increased after 1973 when the college established a scholarship program named after Mandush, a Shinnecock leader who greeted the first white settlers in 1640. The scholarship covered the difference in tuition and fees between the funds available from other sources, such as grants from the state for Native American students.
The Reverend Mike Smith is an important leader in the Shinnecock community, and has been involved with the college both during the time it was under the Long Island University banner and into the present day, as it is now part of the Stony Brook University system.
He said that while it is vital to always remember that the land that comprises the campus was once tribal land, and was taken from the tribe by illegal and underhanded means, the college has also been beneficial for members of the Shinnecock Nation in many ways over the years. He said he appreciated the openness of former provost Tim Bishop in keeping communication flowing between the college and the tribe.
“He’s a local and he reached out as much as he could to foster that relationship,” Smith said. “We had pretty decent access to him and his office. Perhaps it wasn’t utilized to its fullest potential, but he had an open and receptive ear.”
Smith acknowledged that the college has always had a fairly good sized workforce from the nation, with tribal members employed there in several different capacities, in addition to attending as students, as well.
He also said that the Stony Brook takeover paved the way for “exciting possibilities” for the tribe, and he remains invested in seeing those through. For the last eight years, Smith has served on the Stony Brook Council, which he described as a “quasi-administrative” body with members appointed by the governor’s office.
“We don’t vote on policy, but have a fairly significant role in establishing policy in the university,” he said, adding that in the role, he’s been able to facilitate discussions and dialogues between university administration and the Shinnecock Council of Trustees.
“From my perspective, the school has been and can continue to be a valuable resource,” he said.
Continuing to strengthen those ties will remain key, now and into the future, he added.
Cailin Riley on Jan 3, 2024