When Long Island was first settled by the white man it was inhabited
by 13 tribes of Indians, or groups as some historians call them. The
Canarsie tribe claimed the whole of King’s country and also part of
the town of Jamaica. The Rockaway tribe was scattered over the
Southern part of Hempstead town and the greater part of the tribe
lived near Rockaway. The Merrick tribe occupied the territory to the
east of the Rockaway’s and then came to Marsapeague group, who
claimed the lands to East Islip. The Secatogue tribe occupied the
territory east of this to Patchogue.
Then came the Unkechaug tribe,
which has been called the Patchogue tribe by some historians, but it
has been finally decided that Unkechaug is the correct name for the
Indians who occupied the lands eastward on the Southside of the
island to Southampton. Tobaccus was Sachem of this tribe in 1664,
and their headquarters was near Mastic.
The Shinnecocks came next on
the south side and then the Montauks, who occupied the territory
eastward to and including Montauk. Wyandanche, the Sachem of this
tribe seemed to have been the Grand Sachem of all the Indians on the
island, and his signature was required on early deeds given by the
local tribes to the various towns.
The Matinecocks claimed the land
east to Smithtown on the North side. This was a large tribe and had
settlements at flushing, Glen Cove, Cold Spring, Huntington, and Cow
Harbor.
The Nesaquake tribe came next and claimed as far east as
Stony Brook.
Then came the Setalcotts, who occupied the land from
Stony Brook to Wading River. They were a most powerful group.
The Corchaugs owned the territory from Wading River to Orient point,
formerly called Oyster Ponds, and were spread along the North Shore
Peconic Bay.
The Manhasset tribe occupied Shelter Island. Poggattatuck was Sachem in 1648, and was a brother of Wyandanche.
The Indians of the Island were tall and straight, muscular and
agile, with straight hair and reddish brown complexion. Their
language was the Algonquin, the highly descriptive tongue in which
John Eliot wrote the Indian bible, and was the language which
greeted the pilgrims at Plymouth. It is doubtful if there is now
anyone living who can speak this tongue, which was used so freely in
those early days.
The Indian names of Long Island are said to be Sewanhacky, Wamponomon and Paumanake. These names or at least the
first two seemed to have come from the abundance of quahog, or hard
clam, the shell of which furnished the wampum, which was at first
used as the money of the settlements.
Wyandanche, chief of the
Montauk Indians, and Grand Sachem of all the Indian tribe’s stands
out strikingly as having been the friend of the white man, and it
was no doubt due in a great measure to the=2 0friendly feeling which
existed between him and the white settlers, that their relations
with the Indians were so peaceful and harmonious. Wyandanche refused
to enter into any conspiracy with the tribes from Connecticut
against the settlers on the Island, and so ruled the other Island
tribes that they always maintained a friendly attitude towards their
white neighbors.
Many monuments have been reared towards heaven with
names less worthy of memorial than that of Wyandanche, the white
mans unwavering friend, whose grave lies unhonored, in the solitude
of Montauk.