The Indigenous peoples of the upper Hudson Valley are the Mohican people, derived from their name for the Hudson River, the Mahhicannituck, the “waters that are never still.” Today known as the Stockbridge-Munsee Community, the Tribal Nation is based in Wisconsin, far from their original homelands. However, the Stockbridge-Munsee Community maintains a close connection to its cultural sites.
One such important site is Papscanee Island, an island in the Hudson River just south of Albany. The entire island is nominated for the National Register of Historic Places due to its Mohican cultural significance. It is perhaps the best preserved known late woodland Native village site in New York.
Installation of the National Grid E-37 Pipeline threatens to negatively impact the rich historic and cultural resources that Papscanee Island represents for the Tribe today. The Stockbridge-Munsee Community Tribal Historic Preservation Office is concerned about this rapid development and how it may impact the Island’s rich cultural heritage.