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ALGONKIN History
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It is important to remember that the first Long Islanders were not European explorers but Native Americans. The first European settlers came over in the 1640's. The Native Americans had been here at least 9,000 years earlier.

The early Native Americans were members of the Algonquin tribe and were broken into thirteen communities on Long Island. They all spoke a very similar language and were known as a peaceful people. Never very large in number, their total population was probably never more than 6,500. These various communities seemed to get along pretty well with one another. Each community had its own sachem or leader who met with other sachems. Two of the 1600's great sachems were Wyandanch of the Montauks and Tackapausha of the Massapequas. The Native Americans were hunters, fishermen and farmers. They became excellent whale hunters and made boats called dugouts out of single tree trunks. These tree trunks were hollowed with tools and fire and these boats allowed them to fish in the local waters. The deer on Long Island were important to the Native Americans. Deer skin was used to make moccasins, skirt-like coverings and warm leg coverings. Besides the meats (deer, duck, turkey) and fish (particularly shellfish like oysters and clams) they ate the corn, beans, squash and pumpkins they grew in their fields.

Relations between the Long Island's Native Americans and European settlers were pretty good. Native Americans often sold land to the English and Dutch settlers. Some Native Americans were also used as slaves. A 1679 New York State law forbad slavery of Native Americans, but it seems to have continued illegally in some cases up until 1827 when New York outlawed slavery of any kind in this state (the United States outlawed slavery in 1865 with the 13th Amendment to the Constitution; this was after the Civil War).

Still, there are two Native American reservations on Long Island - the Possepatuck reservation in Mastic and the Shinnecock Reservation in Southampton. Every Labor Day the Shinnecocks welcome visitors to their reservation for a celebration.

Canarsies -  "at the fenced place," lived in what is now Brooklyn and Jamaica.

Rockaways - "sandy land," lived from what is now Rockaway Beach to Long Island Sound.

Matinecocks - "at the hilly land," who lived in what is now Flushing, Glen Cove, Cold Spring Harbor and Huntington.

Massapequas -  "great waterland," lived from what is now Seaford to Islip. They also occupied Bethpage.

Merricks -  "plains country," lived in what is now Merrick.

Nissaquoges - "clay country," who lived from what is now Nissaquoge to Stony Brook.

Secatogs - "black or colored land," who lived in what is now Eastport to Bridgehampton.

Setaukets - "land at the mouth of the river," who lived from what is now Stony Bronk to Wading River.

Unkechaugs - "land beyond the hill," who lived from what is now Patchogue to Westhampton.

Corchaugs - "principal place," who lived from what is now Wading River to Orient Point.

Manhassets - "island sheltered by islands," who lived from what is now Shelter Island, Ram Island, and Hog Island.

Shinnecocks - "at level land," who lived from what is now Westhampton to Easthampton.

Montauks -  "fortified place," who lived from what is now Easthampton to Montauk Point. Their chief was the grand chief of all the Algonquin's.