Nissaquogue

Introduction

The territory of this chieftaincy was adjoined by the Matinecocks on the west and extended eastward from the Nissequogue River to Stony Brook and south to the center of the Island. Apparently, there was a disagreement for a time between the Nissequogue and Matinecock Indians concerning their boundary and, as a consequence, they did not always enjoy friendly relations. They had extensive villages at Smithtown and at several other places near the shore within the bounds of their territory.

History

Associated Sites:

• The Stony Brook Site

Translation

Nissaquogue translates to “the clay or mud country.” ¹

Tooker found variations of the name; Tesequagg 1655; Nessaquock, 1665; NEsaquake, 1666; Nasaquack, 1666; Neesoquauk, 1663; Nesquauk, 1665; Nesoquack, 1671; Nassaquake, 1675; and modernly Nissequogue.

1. William Wallace Tooker, The Indian Place Names on Long Island, 1991, pp. 161[↩]