Town To Purchase Shinnecock Burial Grounds; Considers Moratorium

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — It was a victory for the Shinnecock Indian Nation Tuesday as strides were taken to protect the tribe's ancestral burial grounds.

The Southampton town board voted in favor of purchasing 3.3 acres of land in the sensitive Shinnecock Hills area; in recent months, members of the tribe and other residents have been demonstrating to protect what are believed to be ancient burial grounds from development.

The $2.2 million purchase, to be facilitated with use of Community Preservation Funds, will preserve three building lots around the home under construction that was at the center of the controversy, located on Montauk Highway and Ridge Road, in the Sugar Loaf area, the town said.

“The town attorney approached the owner of the surrounding property and we were able to reach an agreement to acquire those three lots and preserve this culturally sensitive land,” said Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

Schneiderman also recognized the Shinnecocks’ desire to preserve more properties in the area where ancestral graves are located; for years, members of the Shinnecock tribe have fought to preserve those parcels.

To that end, the town board is considering adoption of a “Graves Protection Act” to establish protocols if human remains are encountered during construction activities. New York State is one of only four states that lack such legislation, town officials said.

A public hearing on the local law will be held March 24 at 6 p.m.

In addition, the town board will also consider imposing a six-month moratorium on new home construction within the Fort Hill and the Sugar Loaf areas of Shinnecock Hills without first completing an archaeological review.

A public hearing on the moratorium is also scheduled for March 24 at 6 p.m.

The moratorium also affects other large scale excavation projects in the Sugar Loaf area such as accessory structures and swimming pools, town officials said; the moratorium will allow time for the town to enact safeguards to prevent the inadvertent desecration of graves and archeological resources in the sensitive area.

The Sugar Loaf Hill Shinnecock Indian burial ground region encompasses those parcels bounded on the north by Montauk Highway, on the east by Southway Drive, on the south by Shinnecock Bay East and on the west by South Beach Road.

The Fort Hill region encompasses those parcels bounded on the north by the Long Island Rail Road, on the east by Ridge Road, on the south by Montauk Highway and on the west by Peconic Road.

“The graves protection legislation and the Sugar Loaf and Fort Hill moratorium are important steps in preserving our cultural heritage and the sanctity of Shinnecock ancestral burials," Schneiderman said.

Members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation applauded the forward movement: "Last night's meeting was a positive outcome. Although long overdue and knowing that so much more should have been done in the past, we move forward," said Becky Genia, who has fought tirelessly for years to prevent desecration of ancient Shinnecock burial grounds. "More land to protect and preserve, graves protection laws to pass — lots of work to do."

"As a member of the Grave Protection Warrior Society we are proud of the progress we have made toward educating the town board on the importance of preserving Sugar Loaf and our work toward building coalitions with local townspeople who have similar interests in protecting and preserving the land," said Tela Troge.

She said she wanted to extend special thanks to Schneiderman for facilitating meetings and stewardship matters and Southampton Town Attorney James Burke for his dedication to working with the landowner on the transaction to sell the land to the town.

Troge said many were looking forward to the vote on formal grave protection legislation and the proposed temporary moratorium on building in Sugar Loaf "until we can implement appropriate policies and procedures for construction and avoidance of human remains."

In recent months, a large electronic billboard erected by the Shinnecock Indian Nation on Sunrise Highway that has sparked outcry from some elected officials and residents was illuminated as a symbol of the tribe's fight to protect its ancient ancestral burial grounds from development.

The sign read: "Stop Desecration of Shinnecock Hills," along with a photo of an ongoing protest that had been ongoing since December, with members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation speaking out to halt the desecration of their ancestors' sacred burial site by a development given the green light by Southampton Town.

"We are able to get our message out there in a big way now on our tribal monument sign!" said Shinnecock Nation Vice President Lance Gumbs on Facebook. "Silent no more!"

In 2018, at a site on Hawthorne Road in Shinnecock Hills, tribe members said an ancestor's grave was desecrated when a skull, bones, and 18th century glass bottle were unearthed during the construction of a home just minutes from the reservation.

After the remains were unearthed in 2018, Southampton Town closed on the purchase of property where the human remains were found last year; the Shinnecock Indian Nation raised an additional $50,000 for the restoration and preservation of the burial site, officials said.

Tuesday marked a victory on a particularly sensitive parcel, many said.

"Sugar Loaf is a New York State and Town of Southampton designated critical environmental area," Troge said. "It is the site of Shinnecock's most sacred burial area in the Shinnecock Hills and the site of the Shinnecock Contact-era fort."

The Shinnecock tribe's fight to protect their sacred burial sites was the focus of a recent PBS documentary, "Conscience Point."