Mark Rogers: Native people are here and alive on Long Island

To many in the area, the word "Indian" means the pop culture version of the Plains Indians or Natives from other regions that have moved here. The idea that there were people here prior to European contact is vague at best. At worst, the consensus is that the nations of Long Island are extinct. This is a common theme among the tribes in New England that survived the First Contact. I was even taught during grammar school and high school that my people no longer existed.

That is the way that we are preferred to be seen in our own homeland and for a few centuries, my people did do their best to disappear. Our Indian ancestors here on Long Island were faced with laws that forbade the practice of ceremonies, the use of their language and even an Indian appearance. The effects of those laws are still felt today. It was that atmosphere that created Brotherton, and later Brothertown as many fled their ancestral home to try to retain their communities despite the policies of Indian removal.

Those that stayed held on to their culture and blended into New York's melting pot. Ceremony and culture became a very private affair to the point of secrecy. It is still like that today when it comes to traditional practices locally. The culture and bits of the language were also preserved through customs and values that are generally unseen unless you are in the family, so to speak. This has proven to be a good strategy for our people as it has enabled the Native presence to survive on Long Island in spite of the Dutch, the English and a fledgling America's attempts to remove all Indians from the Island.

The side effect of that strategy is that very few people really understand who we are. Many of us are working to change that. I grew up in an environment where I did not feel safe expressing my cultural awareness. It seemed that anytime the subject would come up, I first had to prove my "Indianess" by sifting through people's preconceived notions about Natives. If my proof met their approval, I then had to speak for all Indian people and field a barrage of often tasteless and rude questions. Most people just smirk and say, "Yeah, right" or "We mean real Indians" at the idea of Indians on Long Island.