Category: Delaware Tribe

PENNSYLVANIA STATE – Pennsylvania, a state synonymous with American history, liberty, and religious tolerance, owes its existence to the vision of one man: William Penn. An English Quaker, Penn founded the colony of Pennsylvania in 1681, transforming a vast tract of land in the New World into a haven for religious freedom and a bold experiment in self-governance.

William Penn: The Quaker Visionary Who Founded Pennsylvania

This article explores the life and ideals of William Penn, examining how his Quaker beliefs shaped the foundation of Pennsylvania and left an enduring legacy on American history.

A Quaker in a Turbulent Time

William Penn was born in London in 1644 into a prominent Anglican family. However, he converted to Quakerism in his early twenties, a decision that dramatically altered the course of his life, as documented in biographies of Penn, such as those by Mary Maples Dunn and William Wistar Comfort. The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, was a dissenting Christian group that faced persecution in England for their pacifist beliefs, their rejection of established church hierarchy, and their refusal to swear oaths, as detailed in historical accounts of the Quaker movement. They were also anti-war and did not believe in violence.

A “Holy Experiment”: Penn’s Vision for Pennsylvania

Penn envisioned a colony where Quakers and other religious minorities could live and worship freely, a radical concept in the 17th century. In 1681, King Charles II granted Penn a vast tract of land in North America, totaling over 45,000 square miles, partly to settle a debt owed to Penn’s deceased father, Admiral Sir William Penn, as recorded in the original charter, now preserved in the Pennsylvania State Archives. Penn named this land “Pennsylvania,” meaning “Penn’s Woods,” in honor of his father. Penn’s…

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At Portland State, this revamped building centers inclusion and Indigenous values – OPB[]>> 0; // 3. If IsCallable(predicate) is false, throw a TypeError exception. if (typeof predicate !== ‘function’) { throw new TypeError(‘predicate must be a function’); } // 4. If thisArg was supplied, let T be thisArg; else let T be undefined. var thisArg = arguments[1]; // 5. Let k be 0. var k = 0; // 6. Repeat, while k < len while (k >> 0; // 4. If isCallable(callback) is false, throw a TypeError exception. // See: http://es5.github.com/#x9.11 if (typeof callback !== ‘function’) { throw new TypeError(callback + ‘ is not a function’); } // 5. If thisArg was supplied, let T be thisArg; else let // T be undefined. if (arguments.length > 1) { T = arguments[1]; } // 6. Let k be 0. k = 0; // 7. Repeat while k < len. while (k Math.pow(2,32)-1)throw new RangeError("Invalid array length");var n=[];return n.length=r,n}function Call(t,l){var n=arguments.length>2?arguments[2]:[];if(!1===IsCallable(t))throw new TypeError(Object.prototype.toString.call(t)+”is not a function.”);return t.apply(l,n)}function CreateDataProperty(e,r,t){var a={value:t,writable:!0,enumerable:!0,configurable:!0};try{return Object.defineProperty(e,r,a),!0}catch(n){return!1}}function CreateDataPropertyOrThrow(t,r,o){var e=CreateDataProperty(t,r,o);if(!e)throw new TypeError(“Cannot assign value `”+Object.prototype.toString.call(o)+”` to property `”+Object.prototype.toString.call(r)+”` on object `”+Object.prototype.toString.call(t)+”`”);return e}function CreateMethodProperty(e,r,t){var a={value:t,writable:!0,enumerable:!1,configurable:!0};Object.defineProperty(e,r,a)}function Get(n,t){return n[t]}function HasProperty(n,r){return r in n}function IsArray(r){return”[object Array]”===Object.prototype.toString.call(r)}function IsCallable(n){return”function”==typeof n}function RequireObjectCoercible(e){if(null===e||e===undefined)throw TypeError();return e}function ToBoolean(o){return Boolean(o)}function ToInteger(n){var i=Number(n);return isNaN(i)?0:1/i===Infinity||1/i==-Infinity||i===Infinity||i===-Infinity?i:(i<0?-1:1)*Math.floor(Math.abs(i))}function ToLength(n){var t=ToInteger(n);return t2?arguments[2]:r,o=arguments.length>1?arguments[1]:[];if(!IsConstructor(r))throw new TypeError(“F must be a constructor.”);if(!IsConstructor(t))throw new TypeError(“newTarget must be a constructor.”);if(t===r)return new(Function.prototype.bind.apply(r,[null].concat(o)));var n=OrdinaryCreateFromConstructor(t,Object.prototype);return Call(r,n,o)}function ArraySpeciesCreate(r,e){if(1/e==-Infinity&&(e=0),!1===IsArray(r))return ArrayCreate(e);var t=Get(r,”constructor”);if(“object”===Type(t)&&null===(t=”Symbol”in this&&”species”in…

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Shortly before leaving office, President Joe Biden commuted Leonard Peltier’s life sentence to indefinite house arrest following decades of community activists fighting for his release.

“It’s finally over – I’m going home,” Peltier said in a press release from NDN Collective. “I want to show the world I’m a good person with a good heart. I want to help the people, just like my grandmother taught me.”

Peltier, an 80-year-old member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa who is experiencing declining health, has spent nearly fifty years in prison for the murder of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

“Leonard Peltier has been serving a sentence based on a conviction that would not hold up in court today and for a crime that the government has admitted it could not prove,” NDN Collective said in a letter demanding Peltier’s release days before Biden commuted his sentence.

The NDN Collective letter was signed by 124 tribal leaders including four headquartered in Oklahoma: Muscogee Creek Nation Principal Chief David Hill, Otoe Missouria Tribe Counsel Wilson Pipestem, Delaware Tribe Chief Brad Kills Crow and Cheyenne Arapaho Governor Reggie Wassana.

Before Peltier’s commutation, federal lawmakers had also called on Biden to take action.

“Serious concerns have been raised regarding the fairness of his (Peltier’s) trial and incarceration,” Democrat lawmakers said in a Dec. 2024 letter to President Joe Biden. “Calls for his release have also received sweeping support from civil liberties and human rights organizations.”

“The power to exercise mercy in this case lies solely within your discretion, and we urge you to grant Mr. Peltier clemency, allowing him to return home and live out his remaining days among his own people.”

Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation did not sign the letter nor did they release statements following Biden’s decision to commute Peltier’s sentence.

Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who consistently…

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If you are not a user of Elon Musk’s X, Jim McMurtry is a good reason to setup a profile. Jim has been producing videos of short lessons in Canadian history (and posting them to his X profile). You can also access his lessons on Substack: Jim McMurtry: A Falsification of History Revealed. Much of it focuses on teaching history through art. There is no better class on Canadian history one can find anywhere else in the country.

Regular readers know Jim McMurtry as the B.C. teacher who was cancelled for telling his students the truth about the prevalence of deaths attributed to tuberculosis, small pox, and other viral diseases, at former Indian Residential Schools. Jim made the mistake of attempting to comfort his hysterical students who were in the process of being traumatized by their school and the other foolish institutions that run society. The school, media and political leaders led students to falsely believe priests tortured and murdered indigenous kids during the Indian Residential School period.

We all know the fake story of the unmarked graves “discovered” in Kamloops that indigenous activists use to demoralize Canadians and extort our tax dollars. But when that cruel manipulation was coldly used against his students, Jim did the right thing by attempting to rationally set the record straight with historical facts.

But rationality and historical facts were not on the menu. Silly Jim, he should have acted hysterical, shed tears, and hung his head in shame. He should have made a solemn yet ahistorical speech to his students about the ongoing harms, leftover from the colonial era, experienced by indigenous…

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The year 2025 marks a historic occasion — our city’s 400th anniversary. It marks four centuries since the first European settlement of Manhattan in 1625, on land then known as Lenapehoking, the homeland of the Lenape people. The tiny Dutch colony began as New Amsterdam and then changed to New York when the English took control and expanded rapidly. A century ago, its boundaries increased beyond the island of Manhattan to encompass the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.

To celebrate our city’s 400th anniversary, we are proud to announce the launch of our “Founded By NYC” campaign, which focuses on commemorating and celebrating our city’s 400th birthday and honoring the Indigenous communities that came long before. The campaign highlights contributions from New York City that have shaped our nation and affirmed our country’s place in the world.

Our website, FoundedByNYC.com, features events and activities that showcase our city’s amazing 400-year history. You can also sign up for our newsletter, which will keep you up to date on events in the five boroughs and submit information about your own events that illustrate New York City’s past so that we can showcase it on our calendar.

Even as we look forward and celebrate all our great city has to offer, our administration is deeply committed to acknowledging and engaging with our city’s complex past. That is why we met with Chief Brad KillsCrow of the Delaware Tribe of Indians at Gracie Mansion and have proclaimed November 20 as “Lenape Heritage Day.” The Lenape people are the original inhabitants of this region, we acknowledge the pain they have experienced and the great contributions that have made — and continue to make — to our city.

Like the Lenape, our city’s story has ultimately been one of perseverance and…

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The Brandywine Valley Trail Plan at First State National Historical Park can move forward. The plan defines a designated shared-use 27.8-mile trail network that will provide high-quality recreational opportunities, promote visitor safety and enjoyment and preserve connectivity with leased property within the Brandywine Valley section of the park and neighboring properties. 
 
Today, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the plan. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the EA considers alternatives, including a no-action alternative, as well as environmental impacts. The EA was presented to the public during three public meetings and was available for public comment from July 2, 2024 to August 1, 2024. After consultation with the Delaware Tribe of Indians, Delaware Nation, the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office and local government and considering public comments, the NPS selected the proposed action alternative.

The selected action will: 

• Designate a 27.8 mile shared-use trail network, which includes the administrative roads. All trails will be open to hiking, equestrian use and bicycling (including Class 1 and Class 3 e-bikes). The trail network incorporates 15 miles of existing trails and will add 8.5 miles of new trails (to be constructed). The NPS will close and restore to natural condition a total of 8.1 miles of trails. In addition, 4.3 miles of administrative roads will be open to public recreational use. 
• Reduce impacts on soil erosion and water resources by closing or rerouting trails with excessive slopes and reducing water crossings.   
• Take roughly 5-years to implement. Progress can be found on the park’s website. 

The FONSI, EA and related documents are available on the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment website. The FONSI establishes…

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News Release Date: December 9, 2024

Contact: Joshua Boles

Contact: Samantha Baranski

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Brandywine Valley Trail Plan at First State National Historical Park can move forward. The plan defines a designated shared-use 27.8-mile trail network that will provide high-quality recreational opportunities, promote visitor safety and enjoyment and preserve connectivity with leased property within the Brandywine Valley section of the park and neighboring properties. 
 
Today, the National Park Service (NPS) issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the plan. In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the EA considers alternatives, including a no-action alternative, as well as environmental impacts. The EA was presented to the public during three public meetings and was available for public comment from July 2, 2024 to August 1, 2024. After consultation with the Delaware Tribe of Indians, Delaware Nation, the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office, the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office and local government and considering public comments, the NPS selected the proposed action alternative.

The selected action will: 

• Designate a 27.8 mile shared-use trail network, which includes the administrative roads. All trails will be open to hiking, equestrian use and bicycling (including Class 1 and Class 3 e-bikes). The trail network incorporates 15 miles of existing trails and will add 8.5 miles of new trails (to be constructed). The NPS will close and restore to natural condition a total of 8.1 miles of trails. In addition, 4.3 miles of administrative roads will be open to public recreational use. 
• Reduce impacts on soil erosion and water resources by closing or rerouting trails with excessive slopes and reducing water crossings.   
• Take roughly…

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The Lenape, also known as the Delaware Indians, are a Native American tribe that historically inhabited the Mid-Atlantic region of what is now the United States. Here is an overview of the history of the Lenape people:

1. Early History: The Lenape are believed to have lived in the region of present-day New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware for thousands of years. They were part of the larger Algonquian-speaking group of Native American tribes and were known for their agricultural practices, hunting, and fishing.

2. Contact with Europeans: The Lenape first encountered European explorers and settlers in the early 17th century when Dutch and Swedish colonists established trading posts in their territory. The Lenape initially maintained friendly relations with the Europeans, trading furs and other goods with them.

3. Displacement and Dispossession: As European settlement expanded in the region, the Lenape were gradually pushed off their traditional lands. The signing of various treaties and agreements with the colonists often resulted in the loss of Lenape territory and resources. The Walking Purchase of 1737, in which the Lenape were deceived into ceding a large tract of land, is a notable example of the injustices faced by the tribe.

4. Removal and Reservations: In the 18th and 19th centuries, many Lenape were forcibly removed from their homelands and relocated to reservations in the Midwest, particularly in present-day Oklahoma and Kansas. These forced relocations disrupted traditional Lenape ways of life and caused the tribe to be scattered across different regions.

5. Contemporary Lenape Communities: Today, the Lenape people are organized into several federally recognized tribes, including the Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Delaware Nation, and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community. Many Lenape individuals and communities continue to preserve and celebrate their cultural traditions, languages, and heritage.

6. Cultural Revitalization: In recent years, there has been a revitalization of Lenape culture and…

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