Indian Landmark BUC-USK-KIL

Written By Dino DiPietro

Here’s a comprehensive historical overview of Buc‑Usk‑Kil (also known as Sachem’s Hole or Whooping‑Boys‑Hollow), a significant Indigenous landmark on Long Island, NY:

📍 Location & Marker

  • Located near present-day East Hampton, Suffolk County, NY—on Lost At Sea Memorial Highway (County Route 114), about 0.2 miles north of Edwards Hole Road (40° 58.912′ N, 72° 15.057′ W)

  • A State Education Department marker was erected in 1935, titled “Indian Landmark Buc‑Usk‑Kil,” identifying it as the resting place of Sachem Poggatticut’s body during transport to Montauk in May 1651

Historical Background

  • Poggatticut (also spelled Poggatacut), sachem of the Manhassets (and later “Grand Sachem” of the Montaukett and allied tribes), died in 1651 as he traveled from Shelter Island to Montauk for burial

  • At Buc‑Usk‑Kil, his bearers placed his body in a shallow pit (~12 inches deep, 18 inches wide) to rest overnight. This spot became consecrated (“hallowed ground”)

Cultural Significance

  • For nearly two centuries, Indigenous passersby honored the site by clearing debris (sticks, leaves) from the pit—demonstrating deep reverence for their fallen leader

  • Reverend David Gardiner, in his 1840Chronicles of the Town of Easthampton, noted this consistent maintenance of the site

  • In 1899, Rev. Jacob E. Mallmann recalled Stephen Talkhouse—a local Montaukett man—observing this tradition by kneeling and clearing the hole when he passed

Demise & Commemoration

  • Around 1860, construction of the Sag Harbor–East Hampton turnpike (now NY 114) obliterated the original pit site

  • The 1935 historical marker stands as a later acknowledgment of the site's significance and corrects some traditional naming misconceptions (e.g., “Whooping‑Boys‑Hollow”)

Name Origins

  • The term Buc‑Usk‑Kil appears to derive from Indigenous language referring to the hollow or pit at the resting site. Alternative names like “Sachem’s Hole” underscore its spiritual importance

Summary

Buc‑Usk‑Kil was a sacred resting site for sachem Poggatticut’s body in 1651. Over centuries, it remained a pilgrimage and reverent location for Indigenous peoples—until altered by infrastructure in the 19th century. The State marker now preserves the memory of a culturally and historically significant site for Long Island’s Indigenous heritage.

Dino DiPietro