Princess Brown Thrush's 1992 Obituary from The New York Times

Princess Brown Thrush, a Matinnecock Indian who fought for the rights of her tribe, died on Jan. 20 at Booth Memorial Medical Center in Queens. She was 80 years old and lived at the Matinnecock-Tackapoosha tribal longhouse in Flushing.

Princess Brown Thrush, whose Christian name was Lila E. Harding, died of cancer, said Chief Osceola Townsend, a cousin.

She was descended from Chief Tackapoosha, the Grand Sachem of the tribe, who died in the 1700's. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Matinnecocks had roamed the North Shore of Long Island. Currently they number about 250 families.

She was active in protests and territorial claims against the local, state and Federal governments in the 1950's and 1960's. The Matinnecocks still claim ownership of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park and Fort Totten in Queens, parts of North Hempstead and Caumsett State Park in Huntington.

Read the entire article at The New York Times.