The Shinnecocks are suing for 3,600 LI acres

[Voytek Wilczak]

including NGLA and Shinnecock Hills.

Sebonack seems to be outside their claims, which will be filed in several courts this week, according to today's New York Times.

Registration required (not sure if the link below will work).

http://www.nytimes.com/auth/login?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/12/nyregion/12tribe.html&OP=5b2239ba/Q201Q5DEQ20-Q24YmdQ24Q24wnQ20nUU.Q20UPQ20ynQ203vdQ5DQ3E)Q243Q20ynwd)EQ5DQ5BQ26w}O

[Jim_Kennedy]

Voytek,
Can you spell "Casino"

[TEPaul]

"Voytek,
Can you spell "Casino" "

Nah, no way. Can you spell---

"White man takes Shinneock Indians to the cleaners for the third time--first by stealing their land and building White Man golf courses, second by throwing all Shinnecock indians out as the maintenance crew at Shinneocock and third as White Man lawyers fleece Shinnecock Indians with dreams of "casino" at Shinnecock and NGLA that has about as much change of happening as Cheif Sitting Bull does of becoming Oprah Winfrey".

[Voytek Wilczak]

Looks to me like the Shinnecocks would drop this lawsuit in a New York (or LI) minute if the feds granted them a federal status and the state let them build a casino.

Methinks the lawyers may work for them on a contingency basis (they Shinnecocks are cash piss-poor).

Part of casino profits or the prospective 3,600 LI acres might be enough of an enticement to represent the Shinnecocks.

[TEPaul]

Voytek:

I'll tell you what the State should give them---it should give them Gardiner's Island. Damnedest place you ever heard of--it was a land grant from King Charles to the Gardiners about 350 years ago and I don't know what the hell the status of the place really is at this point----one could probably make the case it could be some state unto itself. One of the provisos going back to King Charles is the Gardiners could keep it as it is only if there was always a male heir. Well, it just so happens after all those years this time there is no male heir. I say let the Shinnecock Indians put their casino on Gardiners Island. It's actually a beautiful place, only trouble with it is it's the world's greatest haven of ticks!

[Jim_Kennedy]

Tom,
The Shinnecock tribe has been petitoning the federal government for recognition since 1978. The NY State Legislature called upon the feds to recognize the tribe as far back as 1974. They have one of the most well documented histories of any tribe.

That's C-a-s-i-no.    

[Voytek Wilczak]

I actually read about Gardiner's Island some time ago - I think it is still privately owned by the descendants of the original grantee.