Description
The Shinnecock Indian Nation is a federally recognized tribe of historically Algonquian-speaking Native Americans based at the eastern end of Long Island, New York. This tribe is headquartered in Suffolk County, on the southeastern shore. Since the mid-19th century, the tribe's landbase is the Shinnecock Reservation within the geographic boundaries of the Town of Southampton. Their name roughly translates into English as "people of the stony shore". The Shinnecock were among the thirteen Indian bands loosely based on kinship on Long Island, which were named by their geographic locations, but the people were highly decentralized. The most common pattern of indigenous life on Long Island prior to their economic and cultural destruction.
Language
Algonquian
Culture
Historically the Shinnecock's were farmers, hunters, and fishermen. The women were usually the farmers and grew such food as corn and squash. The men did the fishing and hunting. Shinnecock homes were historically small houses called wigwams. Wigwams were dome-shaped huts consisting of materials such as animal skins or bark fastened together and held up by poles.Beads made from shells hung on threads, called wampompeag (wampum), were used by the Shinnecock, and many other Northeast Indian tribes, as currency. The Shinnecock Indians wampompeag was regarded as quite valuable and the tribe was known to be raided by other tribes looking to steal it. They also used wampompeag as jewelry. The art of the Shinnecock Indians include beautiful beadwork and baskets. A Shinnecock warrior's weapons included spears, bows and arrows, and clubs.