Jurisdiction & Kinship Authority

Foundations of Jurisdiction

The sovereignty of the Hunnic Matinecock Tribal Nation rests upon:

  • Blood Descent – Direct lineage from historically recorded tribes.
  • Marriage & Kinship Compacts – Alliances through intermarriage with Native and colonial families, documented in deeds, wills, and petitions.
  • Migration & Displacement – Movement of tribal peoples across colonies and states, carrying their sovereignty with them.

    Together, these establish a multi-state jurisdiction that extends well beyond Long Island.

    I. Core Jurisdiction (Blood Descent)

    The Grand Chief and Nation descend directly from:

    • Matinecock – Western Long Island (Queens, Nassau, Suffolk).
    • Montaukett – Eastern Long Island; Sachem Wyandanch deeds and petitions preserved in archives.
    • Pequot – Connecticut; sachemic alliances, recorded in colonial wars and treaties.
    • Wappinger – Hudson Valley/Westchester, New York; intermarried with Long Island Algonquians.
    Core States of Jurisdiction:
    • New York (Matinecock, Montaukett, Wappinger)
    • Connecticut (Pequot)
    • Rhode Island (Narragansett ties through Pequot & Montaukett)
    • Massachusetts (Pequot/Montaukett marriage alliances, colonial migrations)
    • New Jersey (Wappinger & Dutch kinship lines extended into colonial settlements)

    II. Extended Jurisdiction (Marriage & Kinship Compacts)

    Through intermarriage and kinship compacts, jurisdiction extended into the Mid-Atlantic:

    • Mohawk (Haudenosaunee Confederacy) – Kinship ties via the Catoneras line and Pequot/Montauk alliances, bridging Algonquian and Iroquoian sovereignties.
    • Narragansett – Linked through Montaukett and Pequot intermarriages.
    • Colonial Families –
      • Van Texel (1640s) – Marriage with Catoneras; heirs (Travis, Lent, Van Tassel) recognized in colonial land deeds.
      • Travis, Outhouse, Van Tassel, Lent, Ogden, Neville, Churchill – Colonial intermarriages that gave heirs legal inheritance under both tribal and colonial law.
    Extended States of Jurisdiction:
    • Pennsylvania – Wappinger and Pequot kin migrated and intermarried with Lenape/Delaware tribes.
    • Delaware – Tribal marriages tied into Lenape communities.
    • Maryland & Virginia – Churchill, Neville, DuVal, and Travis family branches established dual tribal/colonial jurisdiction.

    III. Southern & Midwestern Jurisdiction (Migration & Expansion)

    As families spread during the colonial and early U.S. period, jurisdiction followed kinship into the South and Midwest:

    • North Carolina & South Carolina – Churchill, Middleton, and Travis family lines merged with displaced tribal kin.
    • Georgia – Extensions of Churchill and Middleton branches.
    • Kentucky & Ohio – Neville and DuVal families expanded westward, carrying tribal descent.
    • Illinois & Michigan – Later migrations tied tribal descendants into new settlements while preserving ancestral continuity.
    Southern & Midwest States of Jurisdiction:
    • North Carolina
    • South Carolina
    • Georgia
    • Kentucky
    • Ohio
    • Illinois
    • Michigan

    IV. Legal Recognition of Multi-State Jurisdiction

    This jurisdiction is affirmed by:

    • Colonial Deeds & Wills – Native heirs recognized in multiple states through intermarriage.
    • Montaukett Petitions (1685, 1705) – Assertions of sovereignty preserved in the New York State Library.
    • Worcester v. Georgia (1832) – Tribes recognized as distinct sovereign nations.
    • McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020) – Supreme Court affirmed that treaties remain valid unless explicitly disestablished.
    • 25 C.F.R. § 83.11 – Descent from a historical tribe, proven across state lines, satisfies federal recognition standards.
    • Federal Rules of Evidence – DNA and genealogical documentation are admissible proof of tribal ancestry and sovereignty.

    V. Declaration of Jurisdiction

    By blood descent, marriage compacts, and lawful recognition, the Hunnic Matinecock Tribal Nation affirms sovereign jurisdiction across:

    • Core States: NY, CT, RI, MA, NJ
    • Extended States: PA, DE, MD, VA
    • Southern & Midwest States: NC, SC, GA, KY, OH, IL, MI

    This reach reflects not expansion, but the historic and lawful movement of our people. As tribal families intermarried and relocated, sovereignty moved with them.

    Thus, the Nation’s jurisdiction covers nearly one-third of the United States, rooted in treaty, kinship, and historical record.

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