"Indian Pageant to be Presented"

Southampton Press

Friday, June 30, 1939

Suffolk County to Honor the Indians of Long Island; “Shinnecock Day”

In 1940 two of Suffolk County’s ten towns, i.e. Southampton and Southold, will celebrate the three hundredth anniversary of the coming of the first English settlers. In giving thought to those who lived here before the white man came and to their descendants in 1939 the people of the county are showing an excellent spirit.

In 1639 there were thirteen tribes of Indians on the Island, i.e. the Canarsie, the Rockaways, the Meracocks, the Massapeaques, the Matinecocks, the Nissaquoques, the Setaukets, the Corchaugs, the Secatogues, the Shinnecocks, the Patchogues, the Montauks. Offshore on Shelter Island lived the Manhanset Tribe. The Indian population numbered many thousands. Three hundred years later only one tribe remains—the Shinnecock. They still maintain tribal government. Historians tell us that fifty years after the white man came, one-third of the Indian population had disappeared. Today only a small remnant remains. The white man’s ways, his diseases, his fire water, and helping him fight his wars turned out to be deadly enemies to the red man.

On Saturday and Sunday, July 1^st and 2^nd, at 3:30 p.m. on their reservation at the entrance to the Shinnecock Hills, the Shinnecocks will enact three hundred years of their history in an historical pageant. The pageant was written and is being directed by Abigail F. Halsey of Southampton. The Shinnecocks have been working faithfully, doing all the manual labor themselves, and making their own costumes.

“Shinnecock Day” will be observed in many of the churches of the county on Sunday, July 2^nd. Pastors will preach appropriate sermons and an opportunity will be given to the people of the county to contribute to the Shinnecock’s building fund. The hurricane of 1938 damaged the reservation church so severely that it could no longer be used for worship. A new church, equipped with social and educational facilitates is being erected at a cost of $30,000. One half of this amount has already been raised. Dr. J. Percival Huget, president of the County Council of Churches is chairman of the building fund. Rev. Herbert E. Moyer of Bridgehampton is treasurer.