Regional Plan Association is commemorating Indigenous Peoples’ Day on October 12, 2020. This is a holiday that celebrates and honors Native American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the second Monday in October, and is an official city and state holiday in various localities. It began as a counter-celebration held on the same day as the U.S. federal holiday of Columbus Day, which honors Italian explorer Christopher Columbus.

RPA is encouraging our staff, Board of Directors, and members to educate themselves about the meaning and value of this commemoration. To that end, we offer the following list of resources to learn more about Native American peoples and a summary of issues unfolding among Native American tribes in the tri-state area.

Resources

Native Land
Native Land Digital is an Indigenous-led non-profit, with an Indigenous Executive Director and Board of Directors who oversee and direct the organization. They have compiled a series of interactive web-maps showing different boundaries associated with territories, languages, and treaties.

Urban Indian Health Institute
The Urban Indian Health data dashboard provides a summary of socioeconomic and health indicators of American Indian and Alaska Natives.

Urban Indians experience a disproportionate burden of disease, including chronic disease, infectious disease, and unintended injury with extraordinarily high levels of comorbidity and mortality. For all American Indians and Alaska Natives, there are systemic issues which give rise to health disparities: genocide, uprooting from homelands and tribal community structure, bans on cultural practices and language, racism, poverty, poor education, and limited economic opportunity.

State and Federally Recognized Tribes in RPA 31-County Region
State tribal recognition specifically refers to states that have created a formal process for recognition.

Recognized Tribes and Land Use Disputes

Connecticut

• The Golden Hill Paugussett - located in Trumbull, CT, and are seeking federal recognition, which would allow them to qualify for federal aid programs and the right to press land claims.
• Schaghticoke Tribal Nation - located in Litchfield County, CT, by the Housatonic River. Their reservation is one of the oldest in the United States. They were federally recognized in 2004 but the decision was overturned in 2005.

New York

• Shinnecock Indian Nation - located near Southampton, Long Island. They have been pushing for land rights, specifically the protection of burial sites, which was featured on a PBS documentary. Recently, the Southampton Town Board voted in support of the Graves Protection Act and the Shinnecock Hills Building Moratorium. The Shinnecock have also been threatened by rising sea levels as part of climate change.
• Unkechaug Nation - located near Mastic, Long Island. They have been in litigation with government agencies regarding historic fishing rights, alongside the Shinnecock.

New Jersey

• Ramapough Lenape Nation - located in Northern New Jersey in Bergen and Passaic Counties by the Ramapo Mountains. Ford Motor Company deposited waste into the Ringwood Mines near the Ramapough’s land. One of New Jersey’s most infamous Superfund sites, the Ringwood Mines was added to the Superfund list in 1983, delisted in 1994, and relisted in 2006 after investigative journalism discovered that the site was still polluted and potentially causing health issues. The legal battle was featured on a HBO documentary.