Letters

Kudos to The Southampton Press for the recent interview with Shinnecock tribal leader Lance Gumbs [“Q&A: Lance Gumbs Says Agreement With State for Highway Access Would Benefit Everyone,” 27east.com, November 22] and subsequent editorial on the proposed Shinnecock Nation Westwoods travel plaza [“Once and for All,” Editorial, December 5].

Recent Letters to the Editor have expressed the views of residents adjacent to the proposed site, as well as the shaky foundation of claims made by the affected parties. What is undeniable is that the land in question is aboriginal in its origin, but ownership has become ambiguous over the last 137 years through various U.S. government legal maneuvers, starting with the General Allotment Act of 1887, when American Indian treaty lands were divided into individually owned parcels of land known as allotments. Ownership of these land allotments from the original allottees have been distributed among the heirs as undivided interests.

What is significant here is that any undivided interest in the allotted land is held in trust by the United States for the Indian owner’s benefit. These individually owned trusts and restricted lands derive the dubious benefit of not being subject to any form of government taxes.

This questionable benefit comes with a steep price, since most financial institutions will not accept the undivided interest in trust lands as collateral for a project. This severely restricts the landowner from building equity in their home. Most homes and projects on Indian lands, out of financial necessity, are done piecemeal, in stages, as the money necessary to complete a project is gradually accumulated over time without the aid of external financing. In short, the red herring of no taxes severely limits the ability to accumulate wealth.

Now, consider: Over a span of 93 years, from 1778 to 1871, the federal government ratified over 370 Indian treaties, all under duress with the threat of war. All of these treaties have been broken. The treaties left the Indian nations confined to assigned land and legally dependent on the federal government, which promised health, education and social welfare in perpetuity. Instead, what they got was low incomes, high crime and a school system designed to destroy their indigenous culture.

While I am not advocating reparations or special dispensation, I must say, the complaints of many of the detractors in last week’s letters ring hollow in light of the historical background of our Indigenous people. The Town of Southampton has been remiss in its oversight of building setbacks on properties adjacent to the proposed travel plaza land and determining the correct legal status of the Westwoods land.

Government agencies have continuously thwarted Shinnecock Nation past efforts through permitting and various other legal obstructions. The Shinnecock people have inherent financial obstacles due to the structure of their land ownership.

Perhaps, this time, the tribe said, “Enough is enough!”

John Porta

Westhampton