Metoac

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
exonyms applied to Native Americans that lived there[1][2]
A modern map broadly showing language areas in the Mid-Atlantic region at the time of European contact in the 17th century[1][2]

Metoac is an erroneous term used by some to group together the

U.S. Congressman Silas Wood in the mistaken belief that the various native settlements on the island each comprised distinct tribes.[1]

Instead, Indian peoples on Long Island at the time of European contact came from only two major language and cultural groups of the many

Pequot.[1][2]
Wood (and earlier colonial settlers) often confused Indian place names, by which the bands were known, as the names for different tribes living there.

Many of the place names that the Lenape and Pequot populations used to refer to their villages and communities were adopted by English settlers and are still in use today. The Shinnecock Indian Nation, based in part of what is now Southampton, New York in Suffolk County, has gained federal recognition as a tribe and has a reservation there.

Etymology

"Metoac" as a collective term may have been derived by Wood from metau-hok, the Algonquian word for the

rough periwinkle,[3] the shell of which small sea snail was used to make wampum, a means of exchange which played an important role in the culture and economy of the region before and after the arrival of Europeans.[citation needed
]

Languages

The Native American population on Long Island has been estimated at 10,000 at the time of first contact with Europeans.

Mohegan-Montauk-Narragansett language.[2]

European colonization

European colonization of the region began in the 1620s, with Dutch colonists congregating around the lower Hudson and western Long Island. The Dutch attempted to establish jurisdiction from

Queens
).

Displacement

The

infectious diseases, such as measles and smallpox, dramatically reduced the numbers of Native Americans on Long Island.[citation needed] In addition, some Native American settlements on Long Island migrated away under pressure from European encroachment. [citation needed] By 1659, their population was reduced to less than 500.[citation needed
]

By this time,

Iroquois Confederacy shared their reservation for several years. [citation needed
]

Exonyms

Further information:
Toponymy of New Netherland
Further information:
List of place names in New England of aboriginal origin

For generations, colonists mistakenly used the place names as

exonyms for peoples, thinking they referred to distinct tribes. Among the many locations on Long Island used by the native peoples, 19th-century American publications erroneously identified the following thirteen as "tribes" on Long Island:[7]

Metoac was a term erroneously used by amateur

U.S. Congressman Silas Wood to describe Lenape and Pequot Native Americans on Long Island in New York state, in the belief that the various bands on the island comprised distinct tribes.[citation needed] He published a book in the 19th century which mistakenly claimed that several American Indian tribes were distinct to Long Island. He collectively called them the Metoac. Scholars now understand that these historic peoples were part of two major cultural groups: the Lenape and the Wappinger-Wangunk-Quinnipiac peoples,[citation needed] both part of the Algonquian languages family.[clarification needed
]

Name Alternate names Location Modern place names Notes
Canarsie Carnasee modern-day
Jamaica, New York
 Canarsie, Brooklyn According to legend, the Carnarsie sold Manhattan to the Dutch Governor Peter Minuit for "24 dollars' worth of beads and trinkets."[8]
Corchaug Cochaug, Cutchogue around Riverhead and Southold, New York on eastern Long Island Cutchogue, New York The Fort Corchaug Archaeological Site is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Manhasset Manhansick
Shelter Island, New York
 Manhasset, New York
Marsapeague Massapequa, Marsapequa, Maspeth south shore, from the Rockaways east into Suffolk County.
Maspeth, Queens
Matinecock Matinecoc Long Island North Shore from
Flushing, Queens to Huntington
 Matinecock, New York
Mericoke Merrick, Meroke, Merikoke, Meracock south shore from the Rockaways into Suffolk County Merrick, New York
Montaukett Montauk, Meanticut
East Hampton, New York
 Montauk, New York Its
Wyandanch
had his name on the title transfer of most of Long Island to the European settlers
Nissequaq Nesaquake, Missaquogue North Shore from Fresh Pond to Stony Brook in Suffolk County Nissequogue, New York and the Nissequogue River
Rockaway Rechaweygh, Rechquaakie around
Maspeth
 The Rockaways is a place name derived from this.
Secatague Secatoag, Secatogue
Islip
on the south shore.
Setauket Setalcott North Shore from Stony Brook to Wading River, New York Setauket, New York
Shinnecock Southampton Shinnecock Hills, New York and Shinnecock Inlet The federally recognized tribe occupies the
Shinnecock Reservation, New York
.
Unkechaug Patchogue, Onechechaug, Patchoag, Unchachaug, Unquaches, Unquachog, Unquachock, Unchechauge south shore from
Southampton, New York
 Patchogue, New York The Unkechaug have retained a community on the Poospatuck Reservation in Mastic, New York. It is recognized by the state of New York, though not federally recognized.

State and federal recognition

Modern map showing linguistic groups, including areas where modern reservations are located

New York State has officially recognized the self-identified Shinnecock and the Unkechaug on Long Island as Native American tribes. The Shinnecock are based at

Poospatuck Reservation at Mastic
is the smallest Indian reservation in the state.

Since the mid-20th century, the Montaukett, Setalcott, and Matinnecock peoples have organized and established governments. All are seeking both state and federal recognition.

At the end of 2009, the administration of President Barack Obama announced the Shinnecock Indian Nation had met federal criteria as a tribe.[9] The Shinnecock were officially recognized by the United States government in October 2010 after a more than 30-year effort, which included suing the Department of Interior.[10] The Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs, George T. Skibine, issued the final determination of the tribe's recognized status on June 13, 2010.[11]

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 978-1-55787-148-0
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-0-231-11452-3
    .
  3. ISBN 9780403097722
    . Retrieved 2015-04-14.
  4. ^ longislandsoundstudy.net/about-the-sound/history/
  5. ^ montaukclub.com/the-montauk-club/.../the-montauk-tribe/
  6. ISBN 978-1-4259-3405-7
  7. ^ Nathaniel Scudder, A History of Long Island From Its First Settlement By Europeans to the Year 1845, New York: 1845
  8. ^ Islands Draw Native American, Dutch, and English Settlement, City-data.com, Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  9. ^ Hakim, Danny (2009-12-15). "U.S. Eases Way to Recognition for Shinnecock". New York Times. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
  10. ^ Hakim, Danny (June 15, 2010). "U.S. Recognizes an Indian Tribe on Long Island, Clearing the Way for a Casino". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
  11. ^ Darling, Nedra. "Skibine Issues a Final Determination to Acknowledge the Shinnecock Indian Nation of Long Island, NY. Archived 2010-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs. 15 June 2010 (retrieved 12 July 2010)

External links

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