THE MONTAUKETTS

The Montauketts believed that the land belonged to

everyone who walked upon it.

They have waited 100 years and feel they are now on the

brink of correcting a great injustice.

ROBERT P. PHARAOH

Following the landing of the first English settlers on the shores of Montauk, ensuing years brought about dramatic changes in the lives of the Montaukett Indians, the original inhabitants of Montauk. The Montauketts, a trusting and noble people, befriended the newcomers and began trade. They taught the settlers how and when to plant crops, hunt, and trap. Life was simple then and the natives had no idea what the future was about to bring.

Along with the settlers came deeds, land ownership, and diseases. The Montauketts, like other native tribes, believed that the land belonged to everyone who walked upon it. There was no need for fences or boundaries. Sachems signed deeds unknowingly, never having been taught to write or sign their names. Many Montauketts died from the diseases brought over by the settlers. They lost great numbers of people to yellow fever. More perished than had ever been lost at war with neighboring tribes.

With their numbers diminished, the remaining Montauketts found themselves becoming increasingly isolated from the lands which they once traveled freely. As time passed the now small band of Montauketts found themselves living on a reservation at Indian Field. Some migrated west to settle in what is now called East Hampton. Others went to Sag Harbor, Southampton, Amityville, and as far as Brothertown, Wis.

Most moved to wherever they could find work, usually as laborers or domestics for the wealthy. Some joined the military service.

The Montauketts who chose to stay on the reservation were later offered property in the Freetown area of East Hampton and small annual payments of money in exchange for their land on the reservation. For those who moved, the money never came, and those who remained on the reservation had their homes and belongings burned. The freedom to hunt and fish on Montauk lands as was promised them if they moved was also reneged upon. When they attempted to do so they were chased off at gunpoint, shot at, and some even were killed.

The final blow to the Montauketts came when the sale of Montauk took place at an auction held in the Town of East Hampton. The land was purchased by a wealthy man named Arthur Benson for $100,000.

Driven from their lands, the Montauketts survived as best they could and continued to stay in contact with one another and hold meetings. Meetings were held in Eastville, Sag Harbor, presided over by Chief Wyandank Pharaoh. At these meetings they discussed tribal affairs. Care of the elderly was always a priority, and, most important, the necessary steps to try to reclaim their lost lands.

In 1909 the Montauketts went to court in an attempt to begin the process of reclaiming their lands. They appeared before Judge Abel Blackmar in Suffolk County Court dressed in full regalia. After hearing the entire case, Judge Blackmar stated that he saw "no Indians there," that the tribe had dissipated into the mass of society, and he declared the tribe extinct. This decision was made in 1910.

Devastated, the Montauketts returned to their homes and called more meetings to discuss what recourse should be taken next. In the years following Judge Blackmar's decision, individual members approached the County Legislature for direction and filed numerous actions in the state courts, to no avail. In each instance, the courts upheld the decision of Judge Blackmar, which was clearly a biased and racially prejudiced decision.

With no other recourse, the Montauketts decided to form a delegation of tribal members to go to Washington to ask Congress to intervene by reviewing the court cases. They hired a sympathetic lawyer from New York City. He met several times with Chief Wyandank Pharaoh and seemed to think that (even at that time) the Montauketts had a reasonably strong case.

Following a meeting with Chief Wyandank the lawyer boarded the train in East Hampton to head back home to New York. Soon after his arrival home the lawyer died under mysterious circumstances.

Today, nearly 100 years later, the surviving Montauketts are reuniting once again and preparing to confront the governmental system which has repeatedly failed them in the past. Led by their chief, Robert P. Pharaoh, son of the late Queen Olive L. Pharaoh of Sag Harbor, the Montauketts have reorganized and plan to file for Federal recognition to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Chief Pharaoh, a direct descendant of Chief Wyandank, has been actively gathering and compiling information for the document for nearly three years. Undertaking this by himself, Chief Pharaoh has assembled a hand-picked, experienced team of professionals who, working together on behalf of the Montauketts, have brought about a resurgence of hope for all Montaukett descendants.

Preparing the documents to submit to the Federal Government is a long and tedious task. It requires clear documenting and organizing information to meet Government standards and requirements. Tribal history must be supported by genealogies of tribal members which can be traced back to the original families of the Montaukett tribal rolls.

The tribe must have a governing document or constitution in place and an established government. The tribe must show a continuance of culture, which can be supported by tribal meetings, social functions, family gatherings, or interactions with neighboring tribes, etc. These are the most important parts of the petition.

Once the document is filed, the waiting begins. Bureaucracy moves very slowly, as we all know. But the Montauketts feel they have waited nearly 100 years and are now on the brink of correcting a great injustice that has affected all of our lives.

However long the Government takes, it won't be as long as it's been, and every day we get one step closer to our dream.

Robert P. Pharaoh was asked to contribute to the history page of The East Hampton Star, and prepared this essay, before it became generally known that another man, Robert Cooper, says he is also Chief of the Montauketts.