Lois “Princess Nowedonah” Hunter

Introduction

Lois Hunter, also known as Princess Nowedonah, was an elder of the Presbyterian Church, served on the Sessions of the Shinnecock Presbyterian Church, on several committees of the Long Island Presbytery, as a delegate to the Synod of the Northeast, as a Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, and as a member of the Board of Governors of the Long Island Council of Churches.

She is the author of several books and newspaper columns, lectured widely and presented programs of Indian lore and folk-craft at schools and colleges throughout the east coast, including C.W. Post College on Long Island.

Hunter graduated from Cheney State Teacher’s College in Pennsylvania and continued her studies at Rutgers University and at New York University. She was an honored member of Alpha Gamma Delta, an Educational Sorority.

In 1961, Hunter was instrumental in winning a favorable judicial decision in the Cove Realty land case. 

Early Life

Lois Hunter was born at Heady Creek on the Shinnecock Indian Reservation in Southampton, New York, where she lived most of her life.

Having attended the Reservation School, she returned to Shinnecock in the capacity of Teacher and Tribal Historian upon the completion of her formal education.

Oral Stories

Princess Nowedonah’s oral stories titled The Story of Poggatatuck and Ashwa: The Enchanted Spring are preserved on Youtube, describing pre-contact oral stories based in Eastern Long Island;