Newsday wrote a number of stories that touched on the life of Wyandanch, the legendary Montaukett sachem who sold tens of thousands of acres of Long Island real estate to an Englishman named Lion Gardiner. A sachem who was Wyandanch's contemporary was Tackapousha, the leader of the Matinecocks and related Algonquian bands along the North Shore.

In the mid-1650s, Tackapousha feared his people would be crushed by Dutch settlers on western Long Island. So he formed an alliance with sachems from other Indian bands of the region to represent the Algonquians at negotiations with the Dutch. This action by Tackapousha helped make him one of the two most powerful Algonquian leaders on Long Island, the other being Wyandanch. Tackapousha died around 1694, more than 30 years after Wyandanch's death. Like Wyandanch, Tackapousha's exact burial place is not known. Nassau County operates the Tackapausha Preserve (spelled differently), in Seaford.

In 1656, Indian Chief Sachem Tackapausha gave white men a deed to the land that would become Massapequa Park. In the 19th century, families of German descent lived in the area, calling it, "Stadtwurtemburg."

Publication and Ordering Information:

This book, published by Heart of the Lakes under the auspices of Hofstra University and the Long Island Studies Institute, has 254 pages and is indexed. It is available in paperback for $15 (ISBN: 1-55787-109-4), and hardcover for $25 (ISBN: 1-55787-124-8; LC 94-77120). Schools, libraries, and bookstores can order directly from the Institute, LISI@Hofstra.edu, (516) 463-6411, fax (516) 463-6441. Mail orders will be filled by Heart of the Lakes Publishing, P.O. Box 299, Interlaken, NY 14847, e-mail HLPbooks@aol.com, (607) 532-4997, fax (607) 532-4684; and the Weathervane Shop of the Suffolk County Historical Society, 300 W. Main Street, Riverhead, NY 11901, histsoc@suffolk.lib.ny.us, (631) 727-2881, fax (631) 727-3467. For additional information, including where these books can be purchased locally, contact the Long Island Studies Institute, Hofstra University West Campus, 619 Fulton Avenue, Hempstead, NY 11549, LISI@Hofstra.edu, (516) 463-6411, fax (516) 463-6441. Of related interest are: Nassau County: From Rural Hinterland to Suburban Metropolis; Nassau County at 100; and History of Nassau County Community Place-Names.

Call_No. Long Island E78.N7 N94 1977

History of Sachem Tackapausha and Long Island Indians in colonial North Hempstead / compiled by the Town of North Hempstead and New York Statehood Bicentennial Author North Hempstead, N.Y.

Call_No. Oversized E78.S7 D29 2000