Sacredness of Hills | Jeremy Dennis

Jeremy Dennis

In this series, I document the continued disturbance of Indigenous burial sites in Shinnecock Hills—land that holds deep ancestral and spiritual significance for my community on the East End of Long Island, about two hours from New York City. These photographs respond to an ongoing pattern of desecration in the name of private development and unchecked real estate expansion.

Shinnecock Hills was once widely recognized as part of our Indian Reservation lands, prior to 1859. That changed with the arrival of the railroad and a series of fraudulent land transfers that led to our forced dispossession. Today, one site alone—Sugar Loaf Hill—contains the human remains of more than 10,000 Shinnecock ancestors, laid to rest in largely unmarked graves.

This work is rooted in a specific violation from August 13, 2018, when human remains were uncovered during residential construction on Hawthorne Road. Instead of halting the work or notifying tribal leadership, authorities treated the site as a crime scene, digging further into the sacred ground under the false assumption that it held no historic value.

The series confronts this legacy through two visual approaches: some images show contemporary Shinnecock people, adorned in regalia, standing in defiant protection of these lands—our bodies as the last line of defense. Others portray figures in regalia, cast aside like the ancestors whose graves have been dug up or paved over. In the absence of tombstones or formal markers, these photographs act as both memorial and presence—reminding viewers that these are not empty lands, but sacred resting places.

This is not just a local crisis—it speaks to the global importance of Indigenous stewardship over sacred sites and natural resources. In response, our community has created the Niamuck Land Trust, a tribally led initiative to reclaim and protect stolen lands through fundraising and direct purchases.

My hope is that viewers will reflect on where their homes stand—and what histories lie beneath them. I invite audiences to consider the disruptions, displacements, and removals that may have taken place where they now live, and to pursue more ethical, informed, and respectful relationships with the Indigenous communities whose lands they occupy.

Read more about the Hawthorne Site here:

https://nativelongisland.com/listing/hawthorne-site/