Southampton Town and Shinnecock Nation Come Together To Celebrate Inaugural Shinnecock Heritage Day

On Tuesday, October 1, the 14th anniversary of the Shinnecock Nation becoming a federally recognized Native American tribe, Southampton Town hosted the inaugural Shinnecock Heritage Day in the Town Hall auditorium in Southampton Village.

Shinnecock Tribal Council Chairwoman Lisa Goree called the event a “very important first step” as a townwide occasion to intentionally and publicly acknowledge the tribe, its culture and its vital place in the greater Southampton Town community.

“It’s about acknowledging that the Shinnecock Nation exists, and that we are a very integral part of this community,” Goree said ahead of the event earlier this week. “I think that’s very important.”

The event included an educational panel discussion, a showcase of traditional song and dance, and traditional food tasting.

The evening marked the first time the Town of Southampton held an official event recognizing the Shinnecock Nation’s sovereign status as a federally recognized tribe.

Tribal Trustee Bianca Collins was part of the committee of tribal members who put together the event, and Southampton Town Councilman Michael Iasilli was instrumental in bringing it to fruition as well.

Bringing a resolution to the board to create a Shinnecock Heritage Day was one of the first things Iasilli did when he was elected to the Town Board in 2023. A few days before the event, he spoke about why it was a priority for him, and what motivated him.

“One of the things I noticed in some of my work previously as a legislative aide to Bridget Fleming and doing work campaigning is that many of our residents, many of whom are Shinnecock, felt they needed a seat at the table,” he said. “I realized that there’s a need to provide education to the public and help folks understand the history of the nation, and all the ways they contribute positively to the community, whether it’s concerning water quality issues, climate change, preservation and more. They are part of Southampton’s fabric.”

Members of the Shinnecock Nation who helped plan and participated in the event looked at it as an opportunity.

“We looked at this event as another opportunity to educate the public about our federal recognition and what that means, and who we are as a people, providing historical context,” Collins said. She added the tribal members often have to engage in the work of dispelling misconceptions about “who we are as a people,” and provide information about how the nation contributes to the Southampton community in modern times, and how it contributed in the past.

“It’s really just an opportunity for the Shinnecock community and neighboring communities to come together and honor Shinnecock heritage.”

Ahead of the event, Collins said she hoped residents and attendees would take advantage of that opportunity, “welcome information and embrace who we are.”

“We’ve been here for 10,000 years, and we’re not going anywhere.”

Goree, Iasilli and Collins all acknowledged that the inaugural event would be happening against the backdrop of ongoing tensions between the tribe and the town over the Shinnecock Nation’s economic development plans, particularly the plan to build a gas station and travel plaza on the nation’s Westwoods property in Hampton Bays.

“At this time when there’s so much contention around the project we have going on, it’s a time where we really have to, as neighbors, come together in peace and understanding and understand that we all want our communities to be prosperous,” Collins said. “We all want to live in harmony. It’s going to take a concerted effort on both sides. We’re willing to have deep and meaningful conversations and build on the relationships that we do have, and welcome new relationships, but we really need to educate people on who we are instead of being treated like foreign entities people don’t have an opportunity to connect with. We’re in this community; we’re in the schools as teachers, we’re first responders.”

Goree echoed those sentiments.

“This is a first step for people to get to know who we are and keep the dialogue open,” she said. “To learn about our culture, and not just when it comes time for us to defend ourselves.”