“Tuesday, July 20, was a day of celebration for members of the Shinnecock Nation, some of whom gathered at the summit of Sugar Loaf Hill, the tribe’s most sacred burial ground, to mark its return.
The Shinnecock Nation Graves Protection Warrior Society had announced earlier in the day that the Peconic Land Trust had closed on the $5.6 million purchase of the 4.5-acre parcel in Shinnecock Hills from the Nappa family. Southampton Town will spend $5.3 million from the Community Preservation Fund to purchase the development rights to the site with the rock star Roger Waters contributing $300,000 to cover the difference. The trust plans to transfer title to the property to the Shinnecock after a 7,000-square-foot house on the property is demolished and the property returned to its natural state, but the mechanism for that transfer has yet to be worked out.”