Author: jeff

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Lenni Lenape

For Native American Playwright Mary Kathryn Nagle, the Past Is Present

Wall Street is more than just a crosstown street at the southern tip of Manhattan. The term itself has become synonymous with the entire American financial market. But its origins go back to the northern border wall of 17th century New Amsterdam. Built by enslaved people, the wall was meant to keep the English from invading the Dutch colony. But it also kept out the land’s first people, the Lenapehoking.

Of course, to the colonizers, the land was theirs, purchased from the tribe in 1626 by the Dutch West India Company. The land was traded for (in today’s exchange) about $1,000 worth of goods, including tools, guns, cloths, and wampum, the shell beads used as currency in fur trading between Native Americans and early settlers. Peter Minuit brokered the deal.

In Mary Kathryn Nagle’s play Manahatta, now running at The Public Theater through December 23, the playwright draws a direct line from that first trade of land ownership on Wall Street to the housing market collapse in 2008. Nagle deftly weaves past and present to tell the story of the 17th-century Lenape-Dutch trade and a modern Lenape family in Oklahoma, whose home is under threat of bank repossession. It’s also a tale of two siblings: of one sister who stayed in Oklahoma and works to keep the Lenape language alive and the other sister who left to work for a financial firm on Wall Street.

Rainbow Dickerson, Sheila Tousey, Jeffrey King, David Kelly, and Joe Tapper in Manahatta Joan Marcus

Nagle is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and originally from Oklahoma (where most tribes were forcibly relocated during the Indian Removals). She now makes her home in Washington, D.C. and, like many playwrights, Nagle has a day job. She’s a lawyer, specializing in…

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Mohican

ODNR celebrates H2Ohio projects in Mohican River watershed

As part of Governor Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio initiative, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) celebrated the completion of the new East Funk Bottoms and Muddy Fork wetland projects and the beginning of the new West Funk Bottoms project this month.

“Wetlands are incredibly important to water quality, and it’s great to see that these two projects are now complete,” Gov. DeWine said. “The H2Ohio initiative has grown exponentially over the last four years, and we are proud to continue spreading this science-based approach to water quality throughout Ohio.”

The East Funk Bottoms Project has been transformed into wetlands to help reduce erosion and filter sediment and runoff from a heavy agricultural use area. It is adjacent to the Muddy Fork project. Both projects will help filter nutrients during heavy rain events and limit the amount of nutrient flow into the Kiser ditch which ultimately feeds into the Ohio River. They are both within the Funk Bottoms Wildlife Area, a popular place for hunting and birding.

“Every day we’re working to improve water quality by harnessing the power of wetlands,” ODNR Director Mary Mertz said. “These projects not only do that but offer amazing recreational and educational benefits.”

The East Funk Bottoms Project was completed in partnership with The Wilderness Center and the Wayne County Community Foundation. The Wilderness Center purchased the project site and restored the wetland area that sits within the floodplain of the Mohican River. The project will capture drainage from nearby farm fields while holding and treating water through the addition of multiple shallow vernal pools. The site will be seeded with native warm season grasses and trees to further aid in sediment erosion and nutrient reduction.

The Muddy Fork project was also in partnership with the Wayne County Community Foundation as well as the Western…

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Munsee

Jogwe, Hayakawa discuss past, present, future of Indigenous studies at the College

Jogwe, Hayakawa discuss past, present, future of Indigenous studies at the College – The Williams Record
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Mohegan

The Rundown: Live Music in December

Caravan of Thieves

December 2 @ StageOne
70 Sanford Street, Fairfield
8 p.m. All Ages $41

You might have already heard about this if you read the interview I had with co-guitarist & co-vocalist Fuzz Sangiovanni back in October, but Caravan of Thieves are bringing their guitar-driven gypsy jazz music into the holiday season. With Carrie Sangiovanni also contributing on guitar and vocals, the band has been described as theatrical, humorous, intense and entertaining all the same time. The only way to realize this is to experience it in person, so make sure to do so as part of your first Saturday night of the month. 

Doom Flamingo (Photo: Paul Chemis)

Doom Flamingo

December 8 @ Park City Music Hall
2926 Fairfield Avenue, Bridgeport
9 p.m. 21+ $21

Based out of Charleston, South Carolina, Doom Flamingo have been creating quite a buzz within the live music circuit over the past few years. The sextet featuring lead vocalist Kanika Moore, bassist Ryan Stasik, guitarist Thomas Kenney, multi-instrumentalist Mike Quinn, drummer Sean Bing and Ross Bogan on the keys have a synth based sound that brings forth a diverse array of riffs, beats and grooves. Hartford prog-rock act One Time Weekend are going to be opening up the show so make sure to arrive in prompt fashion. 

Born Without Bones (Photo: Daniel DeRusso)

Born Without Bones

December 9 @ The Beeracks
250 Bradley Street, East Haven
6 p.m .21+ $15 adv / $18 day of

Born Without Bones’ latest album Dancer that came out in November of last year was one of my favorite albums that came out of the New England region in 2022. The Milford, Massachusetts indie rock…

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Nanticoke

Luzerne County: Greater Nanticoke Area School District caused ballot error

The Greater Nanticoke Area School District had officially informed Luzerne County’s Election Bureau that five school board members must be elected this year instead of the correct number of four, county officials said Thursday.

As a result, both the May 16 primary election and Nov. 7 general election ballots instructed voters to select five.

No corrective action is needed, however, because only four candidates appeared on the ballot in that race and were elected Nov. 7, officials said: Tony Prushinski, Mark Cardone, David Vnuk and Erika McQuown Jacobs.

School board candidates can cross-file in the primary, and all four secured both the Republican and Democratic nominations to advance to the general. There were no other ballot contenders.

Because only four seats are open, the county won’t be proceeding with a write-in notification letter to fill the fifth slot that never existed, officials said. The highest number of write-in votes was eight for John Telencho.

No write-in nominees advanced in the primary because at least 100 votes are required, and nobody met that threshold. That write-in vote minimum does not apply in the general election.

As proof the county was not at fault, a release from county Administrative Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora said Greater Nanticoke Area sent an online form to the bureau at 10:39 a.m. Feb. 7 stating five school board members must be elected for four-year terms.

School districts and the county’s 76 municipalities are responsible for providing accurate information to the county on which seats must appear on the ballot in their jurisdictions, Pecora said.

Based on the experience with Greater Nanticoke Area, the county has decided it will now require electronic submission of all ballot content information to ensure the information is instantly accessible if a question arises,…

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Mohegan

Mohegan to soft open South Korea’s INSPIRE on November 30

Mohegan INSPIREImage: Mohegan

Mohegan has announced the soft opening of its Mohegan INSPIRE Entertainment Resort in Incheon, South Korea, taking place on November 30.

The first opening phase includes the resort’s three hotel towers, the country’s first multi-purpose arena, as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition facilities such as Korea’s largest ballroom, signature restaurants, and the digital entertainment street Aurora.

With the tagline ‘Inspiring Worlds, Inspiring People’, Mohegan plans to continue to open the entire INSPIRE resort in phases during the first half of 2024. 

“This is a momentous occasion for Mohegan, marking both a historic partnership for our Tribe and a new echelon for our system of premier integrated entertainment resorts around the world,” stated James Gessner Jr, Chairman of the Mohegan Tribe and the Mohegan management board.

“We have been honoured to work closely with the Korean government to make this day possible, and we look forward to INSPIRE contributing to the local and regional economies by creating local jobs, bringing visitors to enjoy the Incheon region, and attracting new businesses both on and adjacent to the property.

“I am grateful to the Mohegan and Mohegan INSPIRE teams for their efforts and their leadership and look forward to many years of success and partnership in South Korea.”

The soft opening will feature the resort’s three hotel towers – Forest Tower, Sun Tower and Ocean Tower – together have 1,275 rooms as well as their own unique concept, while the multi-purpose indoor INSPIRE Arena has a 15,000-seat capacity.

The 150-meter-long Aurora digital entertainment street will also be revealed, which includes large LED screens, alongside the glass-domed Splash Bay indoor water park, state-of-the-art meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibition facilities and 10 INSPIRE-owned restaurants including Michael Jordan’s Steak House.

Mohegan will also have several…

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Delaware Tribe

Clay Township Quiz – TheTimes of Noblesville

By Paula Dunn

Well, we’ve come to the last township to be highlighted during the Bicentennial celebration. It’s time to test your knowledge of Clay Township history!

1. Who was Clay Township’s first settler?

2. Carmel/Clay Township is known for its roundabouts. When was the first roundabout built?

3.  When Home Place was laid out as a new addition to Indianapolis in 1914, it effectively replaced a much older Clay Township community already in that area. What was the older community’s name?

4. What is early Clay Township settler Ezekiel Clampitt’s claim to fame?

5. What was Carmel originally called?

6. True or False — the first Quaker Meeting in Hamilton County was in Clay Township.

7. What was Eldorado?

8. From 1942 to 1989, Purdue University operated an experimental agricultural farm in Clay Township. What was the farm’s name and where was it?

9. Who was the first mayor of Carmel and when was he elected?

***

And the answers . . .

1. That depends. The first permanent white settler was Francis McShane. McShane erected a cabin in southeast Clay Township in 1825.

HOWEVER, the county histories note that a member of the Delaware tribe, George Ketchum, and his family were already settled on Cool Creek when McShane initially arrived in 1824. Ketchum worked a farm just like his white neighbors until he decided to leave in 1831 to join the rest of his tribe in the west.

2. 1996. It was built by Brenwick Development Inc. as part of the Prairie View subdivision and was located at the intersection of Main Street and River Road.

The first roundabout constructed by the city of Carmel opened the following year at 126th Street and Hazel Dell Road.

3.  Pleasant Grove. Pleasant Grove was a small farming community that dated…

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Mohican

Berkshire Museum to repatriate Native ancestral remains to Stockbridge-Munsee nation

The Berkshire Museum is repatriating the remains of two Native ancestors to the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians.

In the 1990s, in response to a federal law, the Berkshire Museum classified the two cranial bone fragments as “culturally unidentifiable.” Under federal regulations, if Native remains are not classified as culturally affiliated, museums are not required to proactively reach out to tribes.

In addition to the human remains, the Museum has 13 objects that are believed to have been buried with the remains; 10 pottery shards and three stone tools.

The only documentation the museum has are tiny pieces of paper saying the remains, which were donated in the late 1800s, were dug up from river washout near an Indian burial ground in the Springfield – Longmeadow area.

A 1995 report from the University of Massachusetts concluded these remains belong to one adult and one adolescent.

Now, after consulting with representatives from the Stockbridge – Munsee band, the museum published a notice in the federal register stating the remains are affiliated with that tribe.

Jason Vivori, the museum’s collections manager, said under the lawmuseums determine which tribe the remains belong to, but he said the Berkshire Museum sees the repatriation process differently.

“If they [Native tribes] provide us with a good reason why, we’re not questioning it or challenging it. This is their culture and their ancestors,” Vivori said.

The tribe did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Bonney Hartley, the Stockbridge-Munsee tribal historic preservation officer, told the Berkshire Eagle, “We are trying to step in and respectfully care for the ancestors and provide a dignified reburial for them, so they don’t remain on shelves at the museum and disturbed in their journey.”

The museum will hold the remains until the tribe is ready to take physical custody of them.

Revised federal regulations that…

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Nanticoke

State awards $54.9 million for Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge project

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Munsee

Berkshire Museum to repatriate Native ancestral remains to Stockbridge-Munsee nation

The Berkshire Museum is repatriating the remains of two Native ancestors to the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians.

In the 1990s, in response to a federal law, the Berkshire Museum classified the two cranial bone fragments as “culturally unidentifiable.” Under federal regulations, if Native remains are not classified as culturally affiliated, museums are not required to proactively reach out to tribes.

In addition to the human remains, the Museum has 13 objects that are believed to have been buried with the remains; 10 pottery shards and three stone tools.

The only documentation the museum has are tiny pieces of paper saying the remains, which were donated in the late 1800s, were dug up from river washout near an Indian burial ground in the Springfield – Longmeadow area.

A 1995 report from the University of Massachusetts concluded these remains belong to one adult and one adolescent.

Now, after consulting with representatives from the Stockbridge – Munsee band, the museum published a notice in the federal register stating the remains are affiliated with that tribe.

Jason Vivori, the museum’s collections manager, said under the lawmuseums determine which tribe the remains belong to, but he said the Berkshire Museum sees the repatriation process differently.

“If they [Native tribes] provide us with a good reason why, we’re not questioning it or challenging it. This is their culture and their ancestors,” Vivori said.

The tribe did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but Bonney Hartley, the Stockbridge-Munsee tribal historic preservation officer, told the Berkshire Eagle, “We are trying to step in and respectfully care for the ancestors and provide a dignified reburial for them, so they don’t remain on shelves at the museum and disturbed in their journey.”

The museum will hold the remains until the tribe is ready to take physical custody of them.

Revised federal regulations that…

Continue reading