Editing Long Island (section)

===Early history===
{{Main|History of Long Island}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=March 2023}}
[[File:Tribal Territories Southern New England.png|thumb|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] settlements on Long Island in 1600]]
[[File:Three Delaware Indians C17334.jpg|thumb|A circa 1860 portrait of three [[Lenape|Lenape Indians]]]]
[[File:The-old-house-cutchogue.jpg|thumb|The [[Old House (Cutchogue)|Old House]], built in 1699 in [[Cutchogue, New York|Cutchogue]]]]As the last [[Ice age|Ice Age]] waned with [[Wisconsin glaciation]], early [[Paleo-Indians]] ventured into the evolving landscapes of present-day Long Island, marking a significant environmental shifts and laying the groundwork for the region's rich ecosystems.<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Strong |first=John A. |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1353/book.114659 |title=The Montaukett Indians of Eastern Long Island |date=2022 |publisher=Syracuse University Press |doi=10.1353/book.114659 |isbn=978-0-8156-5645-6 |access-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907221149/https://chooser.crossref.org/?doi=10.1353%2Fbook.114659 |url-status=live }}</ref> These nomadic hunter-gatherers, equipped with stone tools, navigated the newly emerging landscapes, hunting large game and gathering from the abundant natural resources.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-10-05 |title=First European Contact with Indigenous People - The Cutchogue-New Suffolk Historical Council |url=https://www.cutchoguenewsuffolkhistory.org/timeline/first-european-contact-with-indigenous-people/ |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=www.cutchoguenewsuffolkhistory.org/ |language=en-US |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702014104/https://www.cutchoguenewsuffolkhistory.org/timeline/first-european-contact-with-indigenous-people/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Following the Paleo-Indian period, the [[Archaic Period (Americas)|Archaic Period]] marked a broadening of subsistence strategies. The inhabitants of Long Island diversified their diet, exploiting the rich marine and terrestrial environments.<ref name=":6"/> The main source of protein came from the sea, consisting of fish and shellfish, oysters being of particular importance.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Indian Archaeology of Long Island |url=https://www.garviespointmuseum.com/indian-archaeology-long-island.php#:~:text=The |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=www.garviespointmuseum.com |archive-date=September 7, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240907221143/https://www.garviespointmuseum.com/indian-archaeology-long-island.php#:~:text=The |url-status=live }}</ref> Deer and other wild game and various plant foods also became part of their regular diet.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Strong |first=John A |title=The Algonquian peoples of Long Island from earliest times to 1700 |publisher=Empire State Books |year=1997}}</ref>
The archaeological record also reveals a shift towards a more settled lifestyle, with small bands forming seasonal settlements.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Truex |first=James |title=The Second Coastal Archaeology Reader 1900 to the Present Readings in Long Island Archaeology and Ethnohistory Volume V. |publisher=Lexington, MA: Ginn Custom Pub |year=1982 |publication-date=Jan 1, 1982 |pages=70–78}}</ref>

The indigenous peoples in the Early and Middle [[Woodland period]] began developing horticulture as well as more efficient strategies for hunting and gathering. They established year-round settlements. Pottery emerged as a widespread technological innovation during this era, serving not only practical storage and cooking purposes but also functioning as a medium for cultural expression. The stylistic variations in pottery across different sites on Long Island suggest a rich diversity of cultural identities and the exchange of ideas among various groups.<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Strong |first=John A |title=The Algonquian peoples of Long Island from earliest times to 1700 |publisher=Empire State Books |year=1997}}</ref> Additionally, this period was marked by participation in trade networks with other Northeastern Indigenous communities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stone |first=Gaynell |date=January 31, 1998 |title=The Material History of the Montaukett |url=https://easthamptonlibrary.org/wp-content/files/pdfs/history/lectures/19980131.pdf |access-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-date=May 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240501210822/https://easthamptonlibrary.org/wp-content/files/pdfs/history/lectures/19980131.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>

During the Late Woodland Period, there was a noticeable intensification of agriculture, with maize becoming a staple crop alongside beans and squash. This agricultural advancement supported larger populations and led to the establishment of more permanent villages characterized by substantial dwellings, mostly [[wigwam]]s and [[longhouse]]s.<ref name=":3" /> The increased reliance on farming did not eliminate hunting and gathering, which continued to play a crucial role in the subsistence economy.<ref name=":4" />

The Long Island natives lived in villages of differing sizes and their governing style, because of a lack of evidence, can only be guessed. However, anthropological models suggest that the leaders did not have overarching authority over the rest of the village. Rather, the leaders often sought advice from the elders.<ref name=":5" />

The early settlers of Long Island were likely tied by kinship and did not identify themselves as distinct tribes. These tribes were designated by the Europeans as a method of identifying borders. However, there seems to be two, overlapping, but different cultures. Western Long Island natives probably spoke the Delaware-Munsee dialect. The eastern group's language is less well-founded, but it is most likely related to the southern New England [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]] dialect. The kinship system likely kept Long Island natives together with clans in present-day [[New Jersey]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Connecticut]], and [[Rhode Island]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Stong |first=John |title=The Thirteen Tribes of Long Island: The History of a Myth |publisher=The Hudson Valley Regional Review |year=1992}}</ref>

[[Giovanni da Verrazzano]] was the first [[European peoples|European]] to record an encounter with the Lenape people, after entering what is now [[New York Bay]] in 1524, however it is unclear whether he encountered Native Americans from Long Island.