Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Rev. Paul Cuffee Gravesite

A single fenced grave marks the burial location of Reverend Paul Cuffee, a Shinnecock minister connected with the old Native church meeting place at Good Ground, now Hampton Bays. Cuffee followed the religious path of his grandfather Peter John and preached among Native communities on Long Island. A solitary fenced grave in Hampton Bays marks the resting place of Reverend Paul Cuffee, a celebrated Shinnecock minister who preached to local Indigenous congregations at this very site. Honoring Native religious leaders like Cuffee reveals how Indigenous communities actively adapted to Christianity, using new spiritual institutions to sustain their communal bonds and survive amidst rapid cultural changes. Related Biography Rev. Paul Cuffee's life connects this site to a wider Native Long Island history of Shinnecock, Unkechaug, Montaukett, and other community relationships through churches,...