Beginning in the 19th century, school aged children on the Poospatuck Reservation were educated in a mission school located on the Reservation.
Under the provisions of colonial laws and later under the New York State Constitution (Article 12) the State of New York formally recognized the Unkechaug Nation of Indians in the 18th century. 1500 acres of land that had been long held by the Unkechaug and that continued from an original land agreement entered into with the King of England and the Unkechaug in the 17th century was set aside for the exclusive use of the Unkechaug. Today, that allotment has been stripped down to 55 acres; nevertheless, the affinity of the people to the land is as strong as in the past, if not even stronger today. The total population of tribal members, families, and extended relations is 450 of which approximately 250 reside on the Poospatuck Reservation. Housing density, and occupancy levels are unacceptable when measured against the rate of population growth and available land as well as the number of tribal members who want to return to their traditional homeland. The Unkechaug are faced with a rate of population growth greater than the national average and an increased demand for tribal services. Housing is an important priority but efforts to expand housing for tribal members are blocked by a lack of land. The Unkechaug are committed to increasing the land base in order to meet the needs of their members.
The Unkechaug did not practice a migratory lifestyle nor were they regionally displaced or relocated outside Long Island by the arrival of the settlers. The Unkechaug remained in their homeland for practical reasons, access to food, clothing, and shelter, as well as traditions that tied them to the land and the environment. The homeland allowed the Unkechaug to reinforce their spiritual values, preserve cultural practices, and build an economy. In 1640 the English were dumbfounded by the Unkechaug's agricultural practice they called "Indian bam es" in which the Unkechaug would dig deep holes in selected earth sites, put up stores for winter, and cover them with durable mats woven from plants known to grow naturally and locally. The English thought the land would be better used for livestock and pasture. A Dutchman, Issack de Rasiers, observed the indigenous planting system that heaped up molehills sowed with grains, fertilized by fish, and irrigated by redirecting natural waterways and thought the use of the land provided for the native families well beyond their subsistence. European merchants who interacted with the Unkechaug were envious of the natural resources around which the native villages had been built and which provided for the Unkechaug.
Long Island was known as Sewanhacky or "the place of Shells" in the Algonquin language. The Shells found on Long Island were particularly prized in the making of wampum by the Iroquois and other peoples. The Dutch developed a system of monetary exchange through the use of wampum. The Dutch made an economic impact on trading systems in the New World and in Europe by inflating this natural resource while devaluing furs and pelts among Native peoples. The English followed suit and advanced the technology for wampum production by introducing steel drills into the process. Diseases and economic demands pressured the Unkechaug to give up their stewardship of the land and natural resources by diverting it's use. Radically adapting technology replaced traditional cultural practices. Although the land base of the Poospatuck Reservation today is reduced, the natural resources are still valuable to the Unckechaug in maintaining the legacy of their traditions. The Unkechaug are committed to maintaining the environment and restoring the cultural and scientific legacy for future generations. The Unkechaug want to involve their elders and those with traditional knowledge in mainstream preservation and scientific research efforts. Crop cultivation, waterways protection, and shoreline improvement are high priorities in managing natural resources and restoring our legacy to the land and the environment. We envision a new partnership with our neighbors, such as SUNY and Cornell Cooperative Extension, to bring back the traditional "samp" strain as part of the 18 million ears of corn that are grown annually on Long Island. We are also committed to restoring Poospatuck Bay (Moriches Bay) by extending the level and species of fish and restoring beneficial vegetation. The Unkechaug are committed to improving and expanding the inadequate land base at Poospatuck, serving our tribal members, and restoring the legacy of our land and environment.
From time immemorial the Unkechaug have associated with related indigenous entities of Long Island and participated in a complex network of relationships based predominantly on marriage and kinship systems rather than strict tribal affiliation. As such, numerous villages and aggregations of indigenous peoples have been known to each other through out New York; however, each had it's own name even though they were closely related culturally, linguistically, politically, and socially. The indigenous people of Long Island were not culturally driven to a migratory lifestyle because of the development of these interrelated social, economic, and shared political systems. Shared farming, whaling, hunting, fishing, harvesting, and food gathering technologies, as well as common diet and similar housing styles, created a regular demand for services and product manufacturing. The Long Island Indians had a well developed economy and strong trading relationships for bartering goods and services within an inter-tribal network. www.poospatucksmokeshop.com
AHAU
Kin 80: Yellow Lunar Sun
I polarize in order to enlighten
Stabilizing life
I seal the matrix of universal fire
With the lunar tone of challenge
I am guided by the power of free will.
Total Solar Eclipse. The human revolves around its own nucleus and has its own magnetic field, just as a planet does.*
*Star Traveler's 13 Moon Almanac of Synchronicity, Galactic Research Institute, Law of Time Press, Ashland, Oregon, 2015-2016.
The Sacred Tzolk'in
Ajna Chakra (Gamma Plasma)
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