Shinnecock Nation, Southampton Town Officials Clash Over Tribal Seal

Shinnecock Nation leaders are calling for the removal of their tribal seal from the Town of Southampton meeting room amid increased tensions between the two entities, but town officials rebuffed the request. 

Lance Gumbs, Vice Chair of the Shinnecock Nation, expressed his and the tribe’s dissatisfaction leading up to the request, most notably the pending lawsuit in which the town is trying to block the tribe’s construction of a gas station at its Westwoods property in Hampton Bays. 

“We are no longer going to participate in this town,” Gumbs told the town board during a three-hour meeting on June 24. “It has become abundantly clear to the Nation that we are not respected as a government, as a nation, and we no longer want to deal with the hypocrisy.”

According to Executive Assistant to the Southampton Supervisor Jakki O’Neill, the board received two letters from the Nation on April 7 and May 30, formally requesting the seal be removed and returned to the Nation. Gumbs alleged that their attempts via letter were ineffective, prompting his public request. 

Southampton Town Supervisor Maria Moore, reading from a written letter addressed to the Nation, said that the seal represents cooperation with the Shinnecock people and serves as a tribute to the Nation. 

“While our views on specific land claims may not align, we remain committed to constructing a path forward,” Moore said.

Moore added that the council would like the seal to remain in Southampton Town Hall. Gumbs took the podium once more to affirm that he will not leave the seal there and that the Nation intended to move forward with their projects.

“However you will perceive what has transpired here, it is basically an act of war against the Shinnecock nation,” said Gumbs. “That’s how we perceive it.”