Tagged: archaeology
A Walk Through Time With the Shinnecock
David Martine, Cholena Smith, Chris Kretz, Connie Currie (l to r)
To honor Native American Heritage month here at the Project, we’ve got two interviews lined up regarding the Shinnecock Nation in Southanmpton. Connie and I sat down with David Bunn Martine (Director and Curator) and Cholena Smith (Education and Program Manager) from the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center & Museum to discuss the history of the tribe and the operations of the Museum. Located at 100 Montauk Highway in Southampton, this is the only Native American-owned and -operated museum on Long Island.
Today in Part 1 you’ll hear about the origins and development of the Museum including their efforts to propagate the Shinnecock language. We also discuss the Shinnecock Powwow, the persistent challenge of stereotypes and, as a bonus, I finally get to use my knowledge of popular 19th-century German fiction writers.
Thanks also to Eileen Dugan, Education Coordinator at the Museum, for arranging these interviews.
Stay tuned for Part 2 in two weeks in which David will tell us more about Shinnecock history and the Native American experience in this country.
Stream in the player above or download audio.
Further Research
- The Shinnecock Nation on Facebook
- Native American Heritage Month
- Mashantucket Pequot Museum
- Native American Pow Wows
- Algonquian Language Family
- Wild West Germany (the life of Karl May via the New Yorker)
- Interview with Dr. Gaynell Stone on Long Island archaeology and Native Americans
The Lost Lords of the Manor
Sylvester Manor from Historical Papers on Shelter Island and Its Presbyterian Church, with Genealogical Tables. N.Y, 1899
We’re back for part II of our interview with Dr. Gaynell Stone, executive director of the Suffolk County Archaeological Association and now accomplished filmmaker. Her connection to Stephen Mrozowski’s work at Sylvester Manor on Shelter Island led to her first film, The Sugar Connection: Holland, Barbados, Shelter Island in 2012.
The story of manors on Long Island is a tale that grows in the telling, however, so Dr. Stone has mapped out an ambitious series of documentaries encompassing Gardiner’s Island, Eaton’s Neck, the Manor of St. George and more.
Today you’ll get a glimpse of the stories that were uncovered: alchemists on Fisher’s Island, what lies buried on Plum Island, the forgotten patriot John Sloss Hobart, and pirates sailing out of the Connetquot River. You’ll also hear about the struggles to get these documentaries off the ground and seen by the public.
Stream in the player above or download audio.
Further Research
An Island of History Under Our Feet
Dr. Gaynell Stone was instrumental in the creation of Readings in Long Island Archaeology and Ethnohistory, the series of reference books that, starting in the 1970s, pulled together the foundational sources and background information on archaeology in the region.
In the first part of this two-part interview, Dr. Stone walks us through the fascinating history of Long Island archaeology, uncovering along the way: the myth of the 13 Indian tribes, the importance of Thomas Jefferson, the gravestones of Southampton, and much more. Look for part 2 in two weeks when we discuss the Manors of Long Island!
Stream in the player above or download audio.
Further Research:
- Readings in Long Island Archaeology and Ethnohistory (Click on a title to find in a library via WorldCat)
- Suffolk County Archaeological Association
- Silas Wood on the original Long Island “tribes” (via Google Books)
- Allison Mann describes Freetown [East Hampton]
- Bert Seides and the Terry Ketcham Inn
The Long Island History Project 