CLARKSVILLE – Some might be familiar with Delaware’s history of being the first state, as well as the Delaware Native American Tribe who originated from that area. However, there is a lot of history regarding the Delaware Valley pertaining to the Westward Expansion, some relevant to Indiana.
Saturday afternoon at the Clarksville Library, guest speaker, Rachel Wheeler, presented a program called Pioneers on the Waapikaminki. The name Waapikaminki translates to “white river” or “white water.” The guest speaker’s presentation was accompanied by a slideshow. Wheeler is a historian and chair of religious studies at Indiana University Indianapolis.
After she was introduced, Wheeler dove right into her presentation. She began by talking about the removal of Native American tribes and statesmen William Conner, who is considered Indiana’s first pioneer.
“The original design of Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana did not really depict the lives of Native Americans. They mentioned Conner had a Native wife, but that’s about as far as they go,” Wheeler said. However, Conner Prairie plans on incorporating more about Native American history for its guests who want to learn more.
“Conner’s life might be more complicated than one might think,” the presenter continued as she talked about the settler’s family history. “All that information raises a lot of questions about how these two colonies of the Delaware Tribe and the Conner family came together.”
Wheeler then showed a slide of Conner’s family tree.
Throughout much of the program, the presenter talked about racial relations between Native Americans and Caucasians, which caused much conflict and intercontinental movement.
Next, Wheeler talked about William Penn and how the state of Pennsylvania acquired Native lands before travelers and tribes expanded westward to Ohio and then Indiana.
“In the 1770s, the Conners were settled in Ohio having come from Pennsylvania,” Wheeler said.
After she talked more about the history of…
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Bart “Standing Elk” Cartwright is a member of the Lenape tribe and part of the Turtle Clan signifying the original people of the Philadelphia area. (Kimberly Paynter/WHYY) 
Courtesy of the MoAR 