The Matinecock were an Eastern Algonquian-speaking Indigenous people who inhabited parts of what is now Queens in New York City and western Long Island.
Name The name "Matinecock" means "the hilly land" or "hilly country".
History The Matinecock inhabited the North Shore of Eastern Long Island for centuries prior to the arrival of European colonizers. The Matinecock lived from the Nissequogue River on the east to what is now Elmhurst on the west.
17th century The Matinecock people lived in the Little Neck Bay area, which had an abundance of fishing. Dutch and British settlers began arriving in the 17th century. The settlers gained control of most Matinecock land, except for Madnan's Neck. Thomas Hicks, of the Hicks family that later founded Hicksville, led a band of armed settlers who forcibly displaced the Matinecock. The battle occurred at what is now Northern Boulevard and Marathon Parkway in Little Neck, Queens.
21st century In 2015, Northern Boulevard in Little Neck where it intersects with Marathon Parkway was "co-named" Matinecock Way in honor of the Matinecock.
See also Indigenous peoples of New York (state)
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