Opening from On This Site - Native Long Island

Indigenous Languages of Long Island

Long Island's Native languages are related but not interchangeable. Western Munsee relationships, eastern connections across Long Island Sound, colonial spellings, and present-day revitalization all require careful distinction. Language carries relationships among people, land, water, memory, and community. Surviving colonial spellings preserve fragments of Indigenous speech, but they cannot replace the knowledge and authority of Native communities working to reclaim their languages. Long Island's Native languages are related but not interchangeable. Western Munsee relationships, eastern connections across Long Island Sound, colonial spellings, and present-day...