Native Northeast: Shinnecock Nation Museum By Winona Warner Ms. Warner is Treasurer of the Board of Directors Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum The Shinnecock Indian people of Eastern Long Island had a dream for nearly thirty years of preserving and revitalizing their heritage and culture through the establishment of a tribal museum on their reservation, outside of Southampton, New York. This vision was realized on June 2, 2001 when the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum opened it doors to the tribal members, and again two weeks later, when it officially welcomed the public to the beautiful white log building that is dedicated to the ancestors of the Shinnecock Nation.  The Center represents a commitment to both elders and youth as their living testimony to the proud endurance of Long Island’s indigenous people. “A Walk with the People,” the opening exhibition of the Cultural Center and Museum, culminated years of dedication and hard work by many individuals who shared a common bond based on collective memories of the ancestors. It also represents a fierce determination that Shinnecock would not fade into erroneous history books. The exhibit traces the historical journey of the Shinnecock people from Paleolithic times to the present depicted in the powerful and awe-inspiring murals painted by talented tribal member, David Bunn Martine.  Each mural or collection of murals represents a significant step through time of the first people on this land by the water that has been home to the Shinnecock for thousands of years. The detail and spiritual depth that flowed from the heart of the artist onto the canvas portrays the past as a living entity. With the permanent exhibition mounted in two wings of the long house replica, numerous artifacts and objects are displayed in beautiful showcases throughout the Museum, including implements from the Shinnecock whaling history, woven Native baskets, a wicki-up and an indigenous animals exhibit. The spiral stairway to the lower level of the building leads into a huge portrait gallery of Shinnecock people, as well as a lecture/workshop room and offices. As the first and only Native American owned and operated museum on Long Island, there has been widespread and enthusiastic public support from all sectors of Long Island, especially students and educators. The news media has been very positive and the museum has received excellent coverage from the local press to The New York Times and Native People’s Magazine. This summer and fall visitors from all over the world and numerous school groups, including the entire freshman class at Southampton College, participated in educational workshops that featured Shinnecock presenters. An exciting new offering is a guided tour of the museum and the nearby Atlantis Marine Annex Center, which houses sea animals such as sharks, moray eels, groupers, and other marine life, plus a visit to a protected wooded area of the reservation to learn about Native plant and wildlife indigenous to Long Island.  On December 8, the Museum hosted its first Winter Arts Festival highlighted by Shinnecock Native artists, crafts, holiday gifts, children’s activities, storytelling and refreshments. The event was well attended by both Native and non-Native people alike and promises to become an annual Museum activity. Much of what is now a reality for the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum was made possible through a generous donation of $200,000 from the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in l997 for the construction of the magnificent building that has generated so much excitement and pride. In addition, the Administration for Native Americans in Washington, DC provided a three-year grant for the Cultural Center and Museum in 1991, and The New York State Council on the Arts made the opening possible through funding a proposal from the Museum in 2001. Admission to the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum is $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and children twelve and under. Winter hours of operation are Saturdays from 11 am to 4 pm and Sundays from Noon to 4 pm.  Please call (631) 287-4923, or visit us on the web at www.shinnecockmuseum.org for more information.