Fire Island, a Historical Overview “Rhythmic waves, high dunes, ancient maritime forests, historic monuments and glimpses of wildlife — Fire Island has been a special place for diverse plants, animals and people for centuries. “The origin of the name Fire Island is not entirely clear; There are many stories about the origin of the island. Its Native American name is believed to have been Sictem Hackey, meaning "Land of the Secatogues", an Indian tribe from Bay Shore, New York. This was also part of what was called the “Seal Islands”. Some historians have also suggested that the name Fire derives from a misinterpretation of the Dutch word "vijf" ("five") or, in another version, "vier" ("four"). ) referring to the number of islands near the Fire Island entrance. Some also say that this is how the island appears on fire when looking out over the ocean in autumn. Yet other explanations for Fire Island's name undoubtedly come from "Fire". Native Americans may have used fires to signal the continent; just like the whalers when they needed supplies from the mainland of Long Island. It is also possible that whalers and fishermen lit fires along the shore to direct ships at night. One local legend has it that shipwreck workers would light fires on the beach to lure unlucky ships onto the shoals to be plundered. The largest fires, however, were started by whalers who required such large fires for days to "try", that is, to boil the blubber into whale oil. There is another version that the natives named the island after the fiery rashes caused by rubbing against the abundant poison ivy that grows all over the island. William Smith, a resident of Long Island, was given a large amount of land on Long Island. .... middle of paper......the people on the east side of the fence" or just "oh, you're one of them", at Ocean Beach and its many shops and bars/ restaurants which are widely known as the land of no, which is ironic since it is the biggest party town on the island. The sad thing is that a vast majority of the island's daily visitors or weekly/monthly renters have no idea of ​​the history of the island, either from the beginning or during the world wars . Some of us were lucky enough to have grown up either on the island or just a short boat ride away from it. We are the ones who were lucky enough to know this wonderful place and lucky to have made it part of our lives. Works Cited www.fairharbor.com/history_fi_first_contact.htm, Fire Island: From Pirates to Slavery to Pleasure in the Sun - Newsday - Accessed November 3, 2007, www.nps.gov/fiis/index.htm