This #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth, we are honored to celebrate the life of Theodore “Ted” A. Green, Chief Blue Medicine, whose family generously donated his regalia and US military uniform to the Long Island Museum.
Theodore A. Green (1927-2007) was born and lived for most of his life in Setauket. A descendant of the Setalcott people, Green served as Setalcott Chief from approximately 1999 until the end of his life. His Native name was Chief Blue Medicine, denoting the corn harvest that results from a coyote howling at a blue moon. He was also extremely active in the Bethel AME Church and served as a Trustee for the Three Village Historical Society. As a Board Member of the Long Island Native American Task Force, Inc., he regularly wore the regalia, which is part of this donation, at public events and ceremonies across Long Island. Several Setalcott community members have indicated that Green was likely involved in the design and the creation of portions of his regalia at a workshop on the Shinnecock Reservation. It became an important marker of his heritage and identity.
During his working life, Theodore Green was employed in construction (he became a construction foreman) and also earned a dental technician degree from New York Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences. Earlier in his life, on July 7, 1946 (according to NARA Records), Green enlisted in the US Army in New York City and - based on the insignia on his shoulder sleeve - participated in the Army Service Forces. After leaving the service, he was one of a group of veterans of color in the Setauket area who became active with the American Legion Post 1766 on Christian Avenue. Green was widely known and respected for his knowledge in local history and his efforts to maintain and preserve the historical record of the Native and Black communities of the Three Village Area. His efforts in maintaining and caring for the Bethel AME Church Cemetery ensured that the plot was designated landmark status by the Town of Brookhaven in 1994 (the cemetery has more recently been landmarked by both the State and National Historic Registers). Green’s interest in preserving his own family’s history was also evident in his frequent sharing of the story of the history of the Hart and Sells families which he belonged to.
Theodore Green's Native American regalia and military uniform will both be displayed in a major upcoming exhibition at LIM on Long Island Native American history and art in 2026.
Photographs courtesy of the Green family in honor of Theodore A. Green PFC, Chief Blue Medicine.
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#LongIslandMuseum #SetalcottNation #TedGreen #IndegeniousPeoples #SmithsonianNMAI
