The Sachem, The Lord, and The Montauketts
The history of East Hampton's Town's first recorded inhabitants, the Montauk Indians, is, fittingly, the subject of the first talks in the 350th Anniversary Lecture Series, which will begin on Saturday.
The speakers, Gaynell Stone and John A. Strong, are considered the nation's foremost experts on the subject of the Montauketts. Each has devoted a lifetime to the study of the tribe.
Dr. Stone's slide talk, starting at 10 a.m. in Guild Hall, will focus on the appreciable, though little-known legacy left by earlier Montauketts, including artifacts, sculpture, visual images, and archeological findings. "The Material History of the Montaukett" is the title of her lecture.
Dr. Stone, the editor of "The History and Archaeology of the Montauk," teaches at the State University at Stony Brook and at Suffolk Community College. The museum director of the Suffolk County Archaeological Association, she also lectures for the New York Council for the Humanities on the native peoples of coastal New York. She holds a Ph.D. in anthropology,
The emphasis will shift from anthropology to history at 11:30 a.m. when John A. Strong, professor of history at Southampton College, speaks on "Wyandanch, Sachem of the Montauketts: An Alliance on the Middle Ground."
Dr. Strong will discuss Wyandanch's role as a "culture broker" between the English and the Indians, according to a release, and the relationship between the Sachem and Lion Gardiner, the first Gardiner's Island lord of the manor. Their friendship played an important part in the history of East Hampton Town.
Dr. Strong, who holds a Ph.D. in history, has written extensively on the Algonquian peoples of Long Island.
The lecture series will continue throughout the year with at least one talk each month, exploring such topics as East Hampton's maritime history, the evolution of town government, the town as an art colony, the first ministers, the Dominy family of craftsmen, Theodore Roosevelt in Montauk, East Hampton architecture, and a great many more.
All 25 lectures in the series have been underwritten. Dr. Stone's talk on Saturday is sponsored by Nick and Toni's, the East Hampton restaurant, and Dr. Strong's by the Bridgehampton National Bank.
Tickets for individual lectures are $5 and can be purchased at the Guild Hall box office. A season ticket for two can be purchased for $25. Sponsor tickets, at $50, are available by calling the anniversary committee's office in Village Hall. Sponsors will be listed in the lecture series journal.