Lake Ronkonkoma, NY, Indian Princess Scary Urban Legends,
Myths and Curse in Sayville History
Lady of Lake Ronkonkoma, New York & Sayville
Lady of the Lake Folklore -
She was from Sayville
There is a lake called Lake Ronkonkoma that is very deep. It is believed by Kids in Sayville that it is bottomless. Before the white man civilized the area, there was a tribe of Secatogue Indians living in what is now Sayville. According to local legend in this tribe there was a princess. She was in love with an indian prince from what is now Bayport who were Poospatuck, on the other side of Brown's River where she was forbidden to go. One day they snuck off together to Lake Ronkonkoma and took their canoe to a romantic spot after dark to fornicate. The spirits did not approve of this, as people on opposite sides of the river should not mix. So the boat sunk, and their bodies fell forever and ever down into the bottomless lake. Then the indian princess put a curse on the lake. Historians say her name was Tuskawanta. Tuskawanta is likely related to the Indian entity of Amityville by blood.
So every year people say the angry Indian princess kills two lovers and pulls their life essence to the bottom of the lake. And every year at least one young couple dies. Normally the two lovers are killed by auto accidents, though it is claimed by paranormal experts that the entity controlled David Berkowitz, who was the 44 caliber killer when he killed the lovers. David Berkowitz claimed he killed the lovers on Long Island because of a possessed dog called the Son of Sam. Was the dog possessed by the Indian spirit? The angry princess entity apparently has the power to wander around Long Island to wreak havok.
The males drowning is Lake Ronkonkoma is a related legend to the lovers being killed each year. Dr. David S. Igneri was a seasonal lifeguard at Lake Ronkonkoma for 32 years. He said there was a male death each year. He had a dream that on the 4th of July someone would drown and the dream came true.
A strange phenomenon is the lake level rises and falls without a complete relation to rainfall. Local writer Michael Ebert said " "The Indians believed it to be the work of Manitos, the great spirit of the lake." and "One study showed that over 7 years in the early 1900s, the rainfall on Long Island was below the usual average by about 52 inches, yet the lake rose 7 feet." There is a hole in the lake that is 65 feet deep, though some claim it is much deeper. A theory to explain the discrepancy is that the entity opens the bottom of the hole to drag people down there, which is claimed leads under the Long Island Sound to Connecticut. The lake becomes a dead zone for fish at the depth of 15 feet due to the lack of oxygen. At that level it is also complete darkness, spooky I say.
Why according to the legend the princess came from
SAYVILLE, and not what is now the village of Lake Ronkonkoma:
1. The stories say they ran off together. From where? That means they came from
outside the lake area.
2. The indians lived almost entirely along the south shore on the bay because
that was where the food source was, and their major source of income: quahog
(Clams) to make wampum.
3. Lake Ronkonkoma was shared by 4 tribes - the south of it was controlled by the
Secatogue that lived in Sayville. There were no major Indian villages near Lake
Ronkonkoma , only to visit.
4. The inland of Long Island was empty of people. That is one of the reasons why
it was considered a sacred place. The lake was used as a far off place to go off
to for ceremonies. It was one of the most remote areas from the populated areas.
That is why it was the main place of spirits on Long Island.
5. Straight south from the lake down Lakeland Ave. is Sayville. Where the
Secatogue lived was the closest major population center to the lake. Like I
said, almost all the Indians lived on the bay. That is why the Indian word for
Long Island was the word from clam.
6. "Ronkonkoma / Raconkamuck,'' means "`the boundary'' Algonquian. It was a no
man's land where the four tribes boundaries met. That is why it was the meeting
place of the Sachems.
7. The ENTIRE LAKE is part of the Town of Islip, though much of the shore is
not. Sayville is in Islip.
8. This story has been floating around in Sayville for years. Is the story true? People disagree, that is why it is called a legend, although this legend has most certainly has some basis in fact.
http://lakeronkonkoma.greatnow.com/indians/indians.htm.
Four of the thirteen tribes on Long Island shared its shoreline as a common
fishing station and meeting place for sachems. These tribes were the Setaukets,
the Nissequogues, the Secatogs and the Unkechaugs.
Islip, Smithtown and Brookhaven formed separate townships with the right to
purchase land beginning at the shoreline of Lake Ronkonkoma. This precluded the
possibility of ever having a single community with the lake as its natural
center.
Lake Ronkonkoma in the Brookhaven section originally belonged to the Setauket
and Unkechaug Tribes, in Smithtown, the Nissequoges, and in Islip, the
Setalcotts. [Secatogue]
lakeronkonkoma.greatnow.com/legends/legends.html
Lake Ronkonkoma has been called a place of haunting mystery
http://www.longislandgenealogy.com/reflections.html
Indeed, several historians believe that a careful interpretation of old Norse
sagas has produced evidence that Karsefni, Leif Erickson's son-in-law may have
landed at Belle Terre near Port Jefferson. It is claimed that Karsefni released
two Irish slaves directing them to explore the
land to the South. If these men did explore in 1010 AD as claimed, they were
among the first Europeans to see this area.
Secatogue means "black meadow lands". The Secatogue Indians were mostly peaceful
and friendly, and showed the first settlers how to plant potatoes, sweet corn,
squash, and other native American crops.
In the Great South Bay is the hard clam, called by the Indians "quahaug." The
dark purple spot on the clam shell was carved into cylindrical beads and strung
on sinews, called "wampum".
http://www.newsday.com/extras/lihistory/spectown/hist004i.htm
Raconkamuck,'' which translates as ``the boundary fishing place'' in the
Algonquian language. What is now known as Lake Ronkonkoma served as a boundary
between lands occupied by four Indian communities: Nissequogues, Setaukets,
Secatogues and Unkechaugs.
Lake Ronkonkoma Indian Princess Urban Legend, and the drowning. The drowned prince.
The curse of lake Ronkonkoma. The suicidal princess and the bottomless pit
theory, along with the theory that the lake is connected to Connecticut. Some
say there are mystical healing powers. Cursed, New York and Texas. Afro-American
Native American legends , stories, and chiefs. Black culture and legends and
folklore. Suffolk County and Nassau County. Lake Ronkonkoma schools, recreation,
shopping, and real estate. Beach, park, and swimming. Urban legends. scary
curses. Swim and drown.
MAINtim
carl
ford Long Island Folklore. Lake Ronkonkoma real estate. The Bavarian
Inn of Lake Ronkonkoma. New York, NY. The Bavarian In. Schools, shopping,
houses, real estate agents, and downtown.
Story of an Indian maiden that was sacrificed to appease the god, Manitou.
Lady of lake Ronkonkoma. Lady of the Lake.
Recreation information of Lake Ronkonkoma and town beach. Lake
Ronkonkoma history and folklore. Town of Lake Ronkonkoma and Village of Lake
Ronkonkoma. Town of Smithtown and Town of Islip Beaches. Real estate, shopping,
and schools. The Lake Ronkonkoma Chamber of Commerce. Info on Scary Urban
Legends and folklore of America and its
impact. Buffy the Vampire
Slayer: Analysis of characters and
stories with information on
creator Joss Whedon. folklore of the United States.
