Unquachog

The Unquachog, also known as Unkechaug, are an Indigenous people of Long Island's southern shore. Their homeland includes the waters and wooded necks of land around the Mastic River and its meeting with the bay. Fishing and shellfish gathering drew on the rich coastal waters, while neighboring communities exchanged shell beads known as wampum.

As English settlement spread across the island, land transactions narrowed the territory available to the Unkechaug. In 1700 William “Tangier” Smith set aside land at Poospatuck Creek for the community, with an annual rent of two ears of corn. Unkechaug people continued to live and work in the area as the surrounding estates and farms grew. Paths connected the community with neighboring households, including the nearby Floyd estate.