13 Tribes of Long Island
While "13 tribes" is a common historical shorthand, modern historians often describe these groups as distinct bands or chieftaincies of the Algonquian people who shared a common culture and language.
The 13 Traditional Tribes
These groups are typically categorized by their geographic locations across the island:
Western & Central (Modern Brooklyn, Queens, & Western Nassau)
Canarsie: Occupied modern-day Brooklyn and parts of Jamaica, Queens.
Rockaway: Lived near the Rockaways, Hempstead, and Newtown.
Merrick (Mericoke): Settled on the south shore from Rockville Centre to Oyster Bay.
Massapequa: Controlled the south shore from Seaford to Islip.
Matinecock: Located on the north shore from Flushing to Huntington.
Central (Modern Suffolk County)
Nissequogue (Nesaquake): Lived along the Nissequogue River on the north shore.
Secatogue: Occupied the south shore in the area of modern-day Islip.
Setauket: Based on the north shore from Stony Brook to Wading River.
Unkechaug (Patchogue): Lived on the south shore from Brookhaven to Southampton.
Eastern (The Forks & Islands)
Corchaug: Settled in the Riverhead and Southold areas on the North Fork.
Shinnecock: Based in the Southampton area.
Manhanset: Occupied Shelter Island.
Montaukett: Lived on the far eastern end of the South Fork (Montauk).
Modern Tribal Status
Today, only two nations maintain recognized sovereign territory on Long Island:
Shinnecock Nation: A federally recognized tribe located on a reservation near Southampton.
Unkechaug Nation: A New York State-recognized tribe based on the Poospatuck Reservation in Mastic.
The Montaukett and Matinecock peoples also maintain active tribal organizations and are currently seeking formal government recognition.
