Native Encampment Coming to Main Village

A wigwam similar planned for construction at Historic Richmond Town was built by David Martine at historic Sylvester Manor.

For more than 10,000 years, the Lenape people lived in this region. They fished and oystered along the watery inlets of Staten Island, and lived in temporary and permanent settlements. Staten Island was known as ‘Aquehonga Manacknong’ meaning ‘place of bad woods’. In the 1660s, Native peoples clashed with Dutch and English settlers who colonized this land. 

This Summer, a Native American Encampment will be constructed at Historic Richmond Town. The site will feature a wigwam, a dome-like structure and several other structures, which will depict the life of Native people in this area post-European contact. The encampment site will be located in the Southwest area of the Main Village.

The encampment will be constructed by David Bunn Martine, a Shinnecock Nation Tribal member and artist. The wigwam, a traditional domed saucer shaped dwelling, used historically by Native Americans in New York and New England, will be constructed out of collected reeds and wooden poles from the Historic Richmond Town campus and the FreshKills Park. Guided tours and school programs will focus on the lifeways and traditions of the Delaware People of the Northeastern Woodlands. 

This project was made possible with generous support from ConEdison.