Skip to main content

Shinnecock Family Sees Future in Hemp

Thu, 06/25/2020 - 16:12
Peshannaquat Hill is the great-granddaughter of Becky Genia (below), one of the owners of Shinnecock Hemp.
Rainbow Chavis

At least one Shinnecock Indian Nation family is pinning its hopes on hemp.

Hemp, of course, is widely regarded as a kind of wonder plant, a traditional yet once-again-modern crop with many possibilities. It has therapeutic qualities, depending on how it is processed, and can be used to create rope, clothing, paper, food, biofuels, and more.

Inspired by similar operations across the country, and empowered by rules that say Native American communities can grow hemp, Shinnecock Hemp has begun cultivating the plant. Rainbow Chavis, with her mother, Becky Genia, and her niece Nasha Hill are using their own allotments of land to start the business.

"We want to create a roadmap for other people in the tribe to do the same thing," Ms. Chavis said in an interview. "Grow a few plants and harvest -- it's a good community activity, a good way to spend time, and also, it will sustain a family."

The Shinnecock Hemp business is separate from a larger plan being developed by the Shinnecock Council of Trustees to grow medical marijuana and build a dispensary on its land. The Star reported in January that those plans are part of a multifaceted approach to the tribe's economic development. The much litigated electronic billboards on Sunrise Highway are another part, as is a potential gas station.

Becky Genia in a thriving Shinnecock Hemp growing allotment

"The Nation is working on a hemp program that will include a regulated system in line with the Shinnecock Nation's medical cannabis ordinance," Bryan Polite, chairman of the Council of Trustees, said in a statement on Monday. "This program is one of many regarding our overall cannabis endeavors, which also include a medical cannabis program [that] is in the building phase currently. The Covid crisis delayed, but did not derail, our medical cannabis project and we are proceeding forward in July."

Mr. Polite also said the tribe has “made great progress" working with Southampton Town officials on a "gas station travel center" on Sunrise Highway. "The project will provide much-needed affordable gas and jobs to the East End community," he said. "The gas station project should be in the building phase by August."

But hemp is the focus for Ms. Chavis, Ms. Hill, and Ms. Genia. Yes, it is part of the cannabis plant family, which also includes many varieties that have high levels of THC, the psychoactive component that creates the high for which marijuana is known. But hemp isn't known for highs — it's more widely known as a source of CBD oil, which has received an increasing amount of attention in recent years.

"People are really now realizing the medicinal value of hemp, and how many ailments and conditions it can help with," Ms. Chavis said. "It's just amazing."

She said they have consulted with experts who have tested their plants, soils, and products, and that their contents are clearly labeled. "We are following label requirements as if we were following U.S.D.A. guidelines, so that consumers feel comfortable buying and trying our hemp products," Ms. Chavis said.

Shinnecock Hemp is part of a collective called SIGNL, which stands for Sovereign Indigenous Growers on Native Land.

They make therapeutic liniments and oil blends, sleep aids, bath products, and edible, fruity drops for various purposes. Some are mixed with things like grapeseed oil, which is a good source of vitamin E, and California white sage mango butter. The Hamptons Blend has lavender and rose. They use glass and tin, not plastic, as packaging. The details are online at shinnecockhemp.com.

The family can grow approximately 50 plants per allotment, and between family members, there are two to four allotments involved. A whole year of research, planning, and trial and error went into the business, Ms. Chavis said.

The plants "are beautiful. They thrive in this area, for some great reason," she said. "We had no idea it was going to take off so wonderfully."

Villages

Countdown to the Three Mile Harbor Fireworks

The Clamshell Foundation's Great Bonac Fireworks Show over Three Mile Harbor is scheduled for Saturday at 9 p.m. with a rain date of Sunday. Because of the increase in boat traffic expected, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has announced the closure of Three Mile Harbor to shellfishing starting at sunrise on Saturday. 

Jul 10, 2025

A ‘Good Trouble’ Protest Up Next

Weeks after the “No Kings” rally brought an estimated 1,200 people to East Hampton Town Hall, another demonstration to protest the Trump administration will happen next Thursday, with a nod to the late civil rights icon John Lewis.

Jul 10, 2025

Item of the Week: On the F.H. Warner Bakery

This photo from The Star archive shows the F.H. Warner Bakery, built in 1893 and sometimes known as the Montauk Bakery, when it stood next to the Methodist Church, near Hook Mill.

Jul 10, 2025

 

Your support for The East Hampton Star helps us deliver the news, arts, and community information you need. Whether you are an online subscriber, get the paper in the mail, delivered to your door in Manhattan, or are just passing through, every reader counts. We value you for being part of The Star family.

Your subscription to The Star does more than get you great arts, news, sports, and outdoors stories. It makes everything we do possible.