Month: August 2021

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Mohican

Lauren R. Stevens | The View from White Oaks: Establishing — and acknowledging — the truth of this land’s first inhabitants

The prevailing version of history has been that Native Americans didn’t actually live in the Berkshire area prior to the founding of Indiantown (Stockbridge). They were just passing through, for hunting, trade or interacting with other tribes. Well, it’s easy to see how, if colonists of European extraction were appropriating Native American land, that would be a convenient truth.

But a series of archaeological digs and research is amassing evidence that Indigenous people, known as the ancestors to their Mohican descendants, maintained permanent residences here prior to the time of contact. The latest evidence, and perhaps the most convincing, is the discovery of a probable Indigenous dwelling behind the newly discovered first meetinghouse site on Main Street in Stockbridge.

Stockbridge archaeological dig involves community, aims to correct historical interpretation

Joseph Park’s bicentennial history of Pownal, Vt., tends toward semi-permanent winter hunting camps as the extent of Native American presence, yet he also describes the many artifacts collected along the Hoosic River by Alonzo Whipple in the 19th century and the nearly 500 that Gordon Sweeney accumulated in the 20th century. Most of Sweeney’s are at the University of Vermont, although some reside at the Solomon Wright Library in Pownal.

When it came time to relocate a bridge in Pownal in 1979, Peter Thomas of the Vermont Agency of Transportation cited the discovery of those two men that there were arrow and spear points going back to 4000 B.C., concluding an “annual settlement pattern.” There were also tantalizing stories of cornfields, suggesting more permanent residence.

The narrative clarified in 1990 when David W. Parrott, archaeologist with the Mahingan Institute in Monterey, discovered a variety of stone tools and traced the source of the stone not to the west but to an ancient quarry in Monterey. These seemed to indicate a…

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Unami

UN Iraq envoy again calls for implementation of stalled Sinjar Agreement

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The the head of the UN’s Iraq Assistance Mission (UNAMI), on Monday called again for the creation of a unified administration in the disputed district of Sinjar (Shingal) during an online event marking the seventh anniversary of the Yezidi (Ezidi) genocide, in which thousands were brutally murdered, kidnapped, and trafficked at the hands of ISIS.

“Years later, survivors, still face immense challenges, while they urgently need to rebuild their lives, unnecessary obstacles continue (…) on security arrangements, public service provision and unified, administration, and inability of parties and authorities to set aside differences for the greater good,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert during an online event organized by the Yezidi rights organization Yazda and the Zovighian Partnership.

In October 2020, Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced they had reached an agreement, with support from the UN, to restore and normalize the situation in Shingal, where competing armed groups are active.

Read More: KRG and Baghdad reach administrative, security agreement on Sinjar

Notably, the agreement includes a framework to withdraw all armed groups from the area, restore the local administration, and appoint a new mayor. So far, however, these steps have not been taken. 

Despite the agreement’s strong international backing, multiple armed groups remain, making the administrative piece of the agreement, to some degree, a moot point.

After a field visit to SInjar in January, Hennis-Plasschaert called for the stalled deal’s implementation, but there has been little clear progress since.

According to the envoy, Baghdad and Erbil “took an important step in the right direction, laying the groundwork for stability, improved safety and better living conditions,” but “progress has been unacceptably slow in improving governments and unifying administrations. And the harsh reality is that these roadblocks are holding progress hostage with…

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Nanticoke

Nanticoke Valley Historical Society announces History in the Headstones, Maine Fest

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Mohegan

Convention-goers enjoy immersing themselves in world of make believe

Mohegan — Those entering Mohegan Sun’s Expo Center this weekend were greeted with storm troopers and immediately immersed into another world, one where people of all ages can dress up as their favorite movie, TV, and comic book characters.

Mitch Hallock, the owner and producer of “Terrificon,” said it felt good to be back after last year’s event was canceled due to the pandemic, adding that he took organizing this year’s event “day by day.” Masks were optional at the convention.

Hallock has organized conventions since 2012, and Terrificon has been at Mohegan since 2015.

“I’ve loved comic books since I was a kid and had a talent for organizing and event planning, so I combined the two,” he said.

Doug Smith from Keene, N.H., was experiencing the convention world for the first time as a seller rather than a spectator, helping the owner of Enterprize Comics, Etc. sell comic books.

Smith said he was amazed at the networking and the connections made between people with common interests. People go to the booth looking for a specific book and end up sharing their stories.

“You make a new friend,” said Smith. “It might be a five-minute friend, but it’s still a friend.”

People traveled from in and out of the state to make new friends and see some of the many celebrity lineups and products the convention has to offer.

Stefania Sassano from Milford was at her first comic book convention. She was cosplaying as Rogue from X-men.

For Sassano, dressing up as Rogue was not a once-a-year occassion. She dresses up often, gaining close to 10,000 followers on Tik-Tok.

At the convention, Sassano got the opportunity to meet Michael Golden, the co-creator of Rogue. She said he complimented her on her costume and signed her comic book.

Big fans of conventions, Jason and Anna Ruiz traveled from Long Island. The two were gazing at a wall of Funko Pop figures. Jason…

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Lenni Lenape

Lenape Indian descendants return to Paterson’s Great Falls with a history lesson

Ed Rumley  |  Paterson Press

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The Great Falls of Paterson

A historical video spotlighting the history of the Great Falls of Paterson, NJ.

Michael V. Pettigano, NorthJersey.com

Paterson is well known as being the first industrialized city in the history of the United States. However, long before Alexander Hamilton put his stamp on the city, a group of Indigenous inhabitants, the Lenape Indians, called what is now North Jersey their home.

The Indian Heritage Festival held at the Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park on Saturday and Sunday marked a celebration of the history, culture and ceremonial practices of the Delaware Indians, the modern-day descendants of the Lenape Tribe. 

Traveling all the way from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and led by their grandfather Curtis Zunigha, siblings 15-year-old Cayla Magee and 19-year-old Riley Magee were joined by their mother, Erica Magee, to offer a visual presentation of their heritage through educational lecture, the wearing of traditional and contemporary garb and native tribal dance. 

With the magnificent rush of the Great Falls in the background, Zunigha addressed the crowd of over 200 people on Saturday at the historical national park’s outdoor amphitheater.

“We are so proud to be back at the original home of our ancestors,” Zunigha told the crowd. “The Lenape originally settled in what is now the foothills of…

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Mohican

Mohican’s scenic beauty and wildlife make it one of Ohio’s top attractions

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story was originally published by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.

LOUDONVILLE — Thousands of wooded acres greet visitors to the Mohican region. Mohican State Park’s wild landscape offers truly stunning views from both land and water.

Clear Fork Gorge, Lyon’s Falls, and the Mohican State Scenic River are just a few of the must-sees for adventurers. Overnight accommodations include a modern full-service lodge, large family campground with pool, deluxe vacation cabins, and a primitive camping area with stream-side sites.

Nearby Pleasant Hill Lake, which is managed by the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District, offers boating with no horsepower limits. A portion of the lake is no-wake speed, enjoyed by paddlers and anglers alike.

HISTORY

The Mohican State Park area was once the hunting grounds of the Delaware Native Americans, whose more famous warriors included Janacake, Bill Montour, Thomas Lyon, and James Smith. Smith was the first white man to come to this area after he was captured by the Native Americans and later adopted into their tribe. Several Delaware villages were also located in the Mohican vicinity.

European settlers began arriving at the turn of the 19th century, but settlement did not increase until the Native Americans were driven from the area after the War of 1812. John Chapman, immortalized as Johnny Appleseed, frequented the region during the 1800s, caring for his apple tree nurseries.

His name and the date, carved into the wall of Lyons Falls, were an attraction for years. Unfortunately, the etchings have been worn away over time.

Prior to 1949, most of the area that comprises the present state park was part of Mohican State Forest. The forest lands were administered by the Ohio Division of Forestry. In 1949, when the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) was created, Mohican and several other state parks were developed from existing…

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Nanticoke

‘Some incredible players here:’ Table tennis tournament takes off at Keystone Games

NANTICOKE — The air was filled with the unmistakable sound of ball hitting paddle as the Keystone States Games Table Tennis tournament provided fast action and high drama at the Nanticoke Table Tennis Club on Saturday.

Jack Livingston, the club’s director, said that the club had been open since the early 2000’s, and that the action is always intense when games get going.

“We’ve been in a few different places, we used to be at Odyssey Fitness,” Livingston said. “We have some incredible players here today.”

In all, 23 table tennis competitors signed up for the Games, with a large contingent of them hailing from the Lehigh Valley, all with matching brown Lehigh Valley Table Tennis shirts.

Competitors were separated into age brackets, and the tournament also included doubles and mixed doubles competition in addition to the singles portion of the event.

The Table Tennis Club’s Line Street location isn’t overly large, but the small confines made for a remarkable atmosphere as the tournament got underway Saturday morning.

Four tables were set up in the middle of the room, with room for a few spectators along the back wall and to the side of the room. That way, the players had plenty of room to maneuver and get deep off the table in order to provide themselves an extra split-second to react to an opposing shot.

The action was mesmerizing, to put it one way — rallies that extended on and on, impossible-looking shots from crazy angles and some serves that didn’t seem to be in line with the laws of physics.

Havertown native Frank Roth competed on the first table, losing his first match of the day in a hard-fought contest.

“I’ve been playing for something like 46 years,” Roth said….

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Delaware Tribe

Native Americans press for the reburial of ancestors and return of cultural items

Curtis Zunigha remembers shedding tears when he heard the age of one Native American whose remains were part of a reburial ceremony in Ohio several years ago.

It was a girl, 11 when she died. Her young age, which reminded Zunigha of his granddaughter, along with the girl’s inclusion among the many Indigenous people throughout U.S. history who experienced indignities such as being moved from their homelands, left him shaken.

“I was emotionally distressed,” he said during a recent telephone interview.

Zunigha, cultural director of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, said the experience illustrates the long-lasting effects of the country’s history and the ongoing importance of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, or NAGPRA, which was passed in 1990. The law mandates that institutions receiving federal funding return Native American remains and cultural items to tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations.

The Delaware Tribe of Indians expects the remains of nearly 200 ancestors to be reburied at the Pennsbury Manor near Philadelphia in the fall and thousands of belongings to be returned.

Nationally, there are almost 200,000 human remains of Native Americans that have been identified under the law, according to the National Parks Service. Remains have been uncovered in all 50 states and are now on display in museums, in university labs for anthropology research and tucked away in boxes in the back of closets across the country.

The Department of the Interior in July announced new proposed regulations for the protection and repatriation law to clarify the process as well as take the burden off tribes to initiate and complete the required steps. The federal government is consulting tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations about the new proposals and will open them for public comment in October.

The Delaware tribe has been working for…

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