The First European to come across Long Island, back in 1524 was the Italian Navigator Giovanni Verrazano. He should have stayed. Four years later, while exploring Central America and the Caribbean, he was eaten by hungry Natives. Hunger wasn’t as big a problem for Long Island’s natives, the many tribes of the Algonquin Indians, including the Mohawk, Massapeauge, Setauket, and Shinnecock, seafood was abundant. One version of the Indian name for Long Island — Paumanok — means “Fish Shape”.
