Montaukett Recognition Bill Again Passes NYS Legislature

New York State lawmakers have once again passed legislation that would grant state recognition to the Montaukett Indian Nation — a bill that has been vetoed six times by two governors.

Tribal leaders remain optimistic about their prospects of Gov. Kathy Hochul finally signing the bill into law, despite repeated setbacks. The Montauketts have been fighting for acknowledgement since the tribe lost a Suffolk County court ruling in which a judge stripped them of their land and erroneously declared the tribe extinct in a controversial 1910 ruling.

“We are still here in our 115th year, since the racist ruling, and will continue our fight for our social justice, sovereignty, and equality,” Montaukett Chief Robert Pharaoh wrote.

The Montaukett recognition bill vetoed six times — three by Hochul and three by her predecessor, Gov. Andrew Cuomo — would make them the third Native American tribe on Long Island to win state recognition and the first to do so in more than two centuries.

In her December veto, the governor wrote that she was “constrained to veto this bill as the Montauketts have not yet demonstrated that they meet the requirements necessary for recognition.”

The Montauketts maintained that Hochul’s questions about “who we are” were already answered. Pharaoh has said, “The land claim issue was not part of any of our reinstatement bills, but it seems it’s the one thing keeping our nation from being reinstated.”