In a letter to the editor published on February 10 ["Bigger Picture"], Tom Garber made reference to me regarding the Shinnecock lands in Westwoods. He stated that "according to Shinnecock historian John Strong, the land was sold at least twice by the Shinnecocks." The implication in his reference was that the Shinnecock did not have a solid claim to the property.

This is inaccurate and very misleading. The fact that there were three transactions that included the Westwoods parcel is not relevant because the Shinnecock title rests on court decisions in 1932, 1890 and 1922.

David Goddard and I addressed this issue in a Viewpoint article that appeared in this paper on July 17, 2003 ["‘In Quiet Possession': Westwoods Is Reservation Land"]. We pointed out that after the Shinnecock sold all the land in the present boundaries of the town in 1703, many Shinnecock continued to live in the area of Westwoods well into the 19th century. Noah Cuffee, a Shinnecock trustee in 1832, was living at Canoe Place when he was assaulted by Israel Conklin, a white man. The court found Mr. Conklin guilty of attacking Mr. Cuffee, who was on his own property at the time. The tribal records show that the Shinnecocks leased lands at Newtown in 1884. In 1890, a local judge ruled that the land was tribal and could not be leased or sold by individual Shinnecocks. In 1922, another court ruling stated emphatically that the Shinnecock had "good title by adverse possession."

The Shinnecock had a church and several homesteads in the Westwoods area. Paul Cuffee, its minister, rests in his grave just west of Canoe Place near the spot where the church stood. The historical and archival record is quite clear: Westwoods is tribal land.

Mr. Garber is right when he says that the Shinnecock have a very good chance of receiving federal recognition, "a title they deserve." It is, therefore puzzling that he supports the expenditure of nearly $7 million (and counting) of the Southampton town taxpayers' money to fight a losing cause. Instead, the town should turn its energy and funds to negotiating an alternative site for the casino in an area where the traffic and environmental issues can be appropriately addressed.

I want to add that Mr. Garber also misleads when he calls me the "Shinnecock historian." The Shinnecock have their own elders, such as Harriett Gumbs and Eugene Cuffee, who serve as tribal historians. I have, over the years, learned much about Shinnecock history from them.

JOHN A. STRONG

Southampton