People turned to Delaware Tribe Chief Chet Brooks for his knowledge of the past. He could recite every treaty the United States ever made with the Delaware.
When his tribe’s federal recognition was imperiled in the 1970s, Brooks met the Secretary of the Interior on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. He brought with him a list of 26 treaties that proved the Delaware existed.
“He was really proud about knowing the history of the Delaware Tribe,” said his brother, Larry “Joe” Brooks. “He knew it like a book.”
Chester “Chet” Brooks was in his second term as chief when he died Sunday, Aug. . He was 78. He had spent 35 years helping to lead the tribe in Bartlesville, in the same town he was born. He served on the Delaware Tribe’s council and trust boards before he was elected chief in November 2014.
He also was the tribe’s de-facto historian. His institutional and historical knowledge is irreplaceable, said Acting Chief Brad Kills Crow. Brooks had worked with younger leaders to pass on what he knew.
One lesson that resonated most with Kills Crow was Brooks’ ability to respect decisions made by the tribal council and move forward.
“Whether we agreed or disagreed, he ended our conversation with a smile,” said Kills Crow, who served alongside Brooks for three years as assistant chief. “It is up to us to continue moving along the path he has set for us.”
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The Delaware Tribe, with about 11,000 citizens, is one of three related Delaware nations recognized today by the U.S. government. The others are the Delaware Nation in Anadarko and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community in Wisconsin. Their homelands in the Northeast meant they were among the first pushed out by European colonists, who referred to the people as…
The newly created Shadowbrook Fishing Access Site near Nanticoke Creek in Broome County. (PHOTO CREDIT: NEW YORK STATE DEC) 
