shinnecock
Sacaton- “We always knew who we were. The federal government is not ‘giving’ us recognition but acknowledging a government- to-government relationship,” said Gordell Wright, 37, of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, Southampton, New York.
Wright was in town during the Christmas and New Year holidays with his wife, Crystal Nish, who reigned as Miss Gila River during 1999-2000. Nish-Wright is home in Sacaton Flats taking care of family matters. The Wrights met in 1999 and married in 2005 at West Woods, which is 100 acres of wooded property, four miles from the main Shinnecock Reservation on Long Island.
Wright is one of three Trustees who manage the affairs of the 1,066-member Shinnecock Tribe. The Shinnecock Trustees share the responsibilities of managing the affairs of its people. This is Wright’s second term. Wright’s work as Trustee is volunteer work, however, this may soon change due to the proposed federal recognition.
In a press release issued by the Office of the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, dated Dec. 15, 2009, “The Department of the Interior proposes to acknowledge the Shinnecock Indian Nation of Southampton, New York as a federally recognized Indian tribe.”
Recognition will open the door for the Shinnecock to an array of financial assistance for services such as health, education, or housing benefits. “Right now we are surrounded by million dollar estates on acres of property, and we are sometimes three families to a home,” said Wright.
The Shinnecock’s land is one mile from Southampton, where affluent New Yorkers often seek refuge and own lavish second homes.
Nish-Wright said, “It was a big adjustment coming from this Reservation. It’s so different, but I got used to it. It’s so small and everyone knows each other. They’re very welcoming and good people. I’m impressed with their unity.”
According to public records, in 1978 the Shinnecock Tribe of Long Island requested the United States to bring suit, “To confirm the Tribe’s 1,000- year leasehold interest in, and recover possession of, approximately 3,150 acres of land which were ceded by the Shinnecocks to the Town of Southampton. . . .”
The recognition process began more than 30 years ago. “More than 200 people have passed away since the process began,” said Wright. “This is bittersweet. Many people worked hard in the process,” he said, of the proposed acknowledgement by the federal government. “The research is 40,000 pages long,” he said.
According to the DOI, “The Shinnecock petitioner has met all seven mandatory criteria for Federal acknowledgment as set forth in 25 CFR Part 83.7 including that that the Shinnecock has been continuously identified as an American Indian entity since 1900; has been a distinct community since historical times; has maintained political influence over its members; has a government document describing its governance procedures and membership criteria; and has provided a list of its current members who descend from an historical Indian tribe and are not members of another federally recognized tribe.
The recognition process includes a comment period that will take the official final determination date by the DOI to June 2010.
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