Cherry Grove, Fire Island is situated upon what is traditionally Unkechaug and Secatogue ancestral territory.

Before the arrival of European colonists, the Unkechaug and Secatogue people would have likely hunted whales, seals, deer, fish, and other mammals along the ocean shores and northern bays of Fire Island. Due to harsher environmental conditions on barrier beaches, long-term habitation would have been on mainland Long Island.

Today, as one walks the ocean beaches, reddish microbes can be observed in large patches in the sand. These are microorganisms that contribute to the purple color in some clamshells found along the shore. These purple and white clamshells were used, and are still used today, by Indigenous artists and manufacturers to create Wampum beads and jewelry.

Written by: Jeremy Dennis