Canarsee (kənärˈsē) [key], Native North Americans whose language
belongs to the Algonquian-Wakashan linguistic stock (see Native
American languages). They occupied the western part of Long
Island, N.Y., and sold the site of Brooklyn to the Dutch. They
paid tribute to the Mohawk, and when they stopped paying and
defied the Mohawk, they were almost destroyed. Eventually, the
Canarsee ceased to exist as a distinct group. The Columbia
Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia
University Press. All rights reserved. More on Canarsee from
Infoplease: See more Encyclopedia articles on: North American
indigenous peoples