Project by Nadeysh Ojasmar & Eiwa’ John Colburn

Our project originated from a deep investigation into the Montaukett and Shinnecock Nations’ histories, focusing on their expertise in maritime practices and the systemic injustices they faced—from labor exploitation in the whaling industry to land dispossession through colonial law. This research expanded to confront contemporary forms of ecological and spatial injustice, particularly the environmental damage and cultural erasure perpetuated by the four private golf courses that occupy the Shinnecock Hills today. These golf courses collectively release nearly 89,000 kilograms of nitrogen annually, with over 17,000 kilograms leaching into nearby ecosystems, severely degrading Shinnecock Bay, suffocating eelgrass beds, and threatening shellfish populations central to Shinnecock aquacultural traditions. In response, we propose the removal of Sebonack Golf Club, National Golf Links of America, and Southampton Golf Club, transforming them into radically reimagined landscapes that center Indigenous stewardship: Harvesting the Tides converts Sebonack into a thriving shellfish and kelp aquaculture hub; Rewild the Links returns the National Golf Links to native coastal forest and prairie; and The First Words School repurposes Southampton into a fully immersive Algonquian language preschool and cultural campus. The one golf course that remains—Shinnecock Hills Golf Club—will be preserved under strict environmental guidelines and reprogrammed annually to host the Shinnecock Nation’s Powwow, transforming its greens into temporary ceremonial grounds in a project we call Return to the Hills. Across all sites, we integrate architectural interventions that support rewilding, aquaculture, education, and cultural continuity, collaborating closely with Shinnecock leaders and land protectors. Our installation synthesizes this vision through visual and material artifacts: a collection of research papers detailing the scientific urgency of course removal, postcards that define key terms like nitrogen pollution and land reclamation, documentation of contemporary Shinnecock restoration efforts, and interviews with community members—including a personal conversation with artist and protector Jeremy Dennis, whose insights ground this work in lived experience. Ultimately, this project is a call to reimagine landscapes of exclusion as spaces of repair, to design with and for Indigenous futures, and to position architecture as a tool for memory, justice, and ecological restoration.