Category: Lenni Lenape

The green transition will deepen entrenched socioeconomic barriers for Indigenous peoples — unless Western forms of science and ongoing settler colonialism are addressed by researchers. That’s according to a new study out this month focused on the use, and abuse, of Indigenous knowledge to solve climate change. Despite disenfranchisement, researchers added, Indigenous nations remain the best stewards of the land.

Focused on environmental oral histories of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware, the study examined how the nation strengthened tribal sovereignty by revitalizing connections to land. This has included re-introducing freshwater mussels into the ecosystem as a way to clean local waterways, and growing ancestral plants for food, medicine, and textiles in urban areas. 

“We as a people, and all the Native people on the East Coast, have been dealing with environmental changes for thousands of years,” said Dennis White Otter Coker, the principal chief of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware, in the report.

Researchers argue that it is impossible to separate the effects of climate change from the history of land dispossession and violence endured by Indigenous peoples, and contend that that legacy continues in Western science practices aimed at finding climate solutions. For example, previous studies have found that organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change are biased towards Western sciences over Indigenous knowledge, and their reports “problematically unquestioned,” regardless of the international organization’s own reports finding colonialism to be a key factor in climate change.

“Western Science is really what dominates the way we talk about climate adaptation,” said Lyndsey Naylor, an author on the paper from the University of Delaware. She added that Western science has a hard time meaningfully integrating tribal projects into research, sometimes dismissing their insights completely. Western researchers often have an…

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Kathryn Nicholas

Perkasie Borough’s Lenape Park Skate Park reopened July 18, as “The Spine.”

Newly renovated, “The Spine” now boasts a brand new single coping, double mini half-pipe and a freshly milled and paved asphalt pad, designed to challenge and excite skaters of all skill levels.

The inaugural event to promote awareness of the park’s return to the community will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. Friday, July 26. This “Last Friday Skate Night” event promises to be a celebration of the revitalized space and the skate enthusiasts that use it.

The Last Friday Skate Nights program begins each July and continues through September.

The event is to be a “celebration of skate culture,” according to the Borough of Perkasie. With music, giveaways, food and games, attendees can expect a lively and vibrant atmosphere. It will not only highlight the local skateboarding population, but also demonstrate strong community support and engagement.

Local business Hickory Stick will supply ice cream, and event sponsors along with the Perkasie Police Department will offer free giveaways. At 8:30 p.m., a free showing of “School of Rock” will be available at the outdoor amphitheater in Lenape Park.

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Built in 2002, the skate park has been an indispensable addition to the Perkasie Borough for the last 22 years. In the early months of 2023, the borough began the process of addressing vandalism and considering future renovations.

The Skate Park…

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PERKASIE — Perkasie Borough will host its inaugural Last Friday Skate Night program at the Lenape Park Skate Park on July 26.

The event, scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m., follows the completion of the Skate Park improvement project, with a new single coping double mini half pipe, called “The Spine”, and a full reconstruction of the park’s asphalt pad.

Planned for July through September, Last Friday Skate Nights will invite and include skaters of all ages and skill levels. The inaugural Last Friday Skate Night on July 26 promises an evening of music, food, games, giveaways and a celebration of skate culture. It will be followed by a free outdoor showing of “School of Rock” (PG-13) at the amphitheater in Lenape Park around 8:30 p.m., said a borough press release.

“The skate park is one of the borough’s most-utilized facilities, and it’s wonderful to have been a part of this project,” said Lauren Moll, Director of Parks & Recreation. “It feels very appropriate to host this event in July, which is national Parks & Recreation Month. We’re hoping everyone comes out to watch the skaters, enjoy the park and stay for the movie. It’s going to be an awesome evening in the park.”

Attendees at the event can purchase hot dogs, snacks and Hickory Stick ice creams and pick up free giveaways provided by event sponsors and the Perkasie Police Department. Event sponsors include the Perkasie Rotary Club, K-Squared Landscaping, MLC Mechanical, Screen Room Inc., American Acres and Fermier Construction LLC.

The Skate Park features a new single coping double mini half pipe, called “The Spine”, and a brand new asphalt pad. (Courtesy of…

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WESTTOWN–Despite a rainy forecast, more than sixty people, many of them children, went canoeing at Westtown Lake last Saturday as part of the Legendary Lenape summer family education program.  And no rain fell on the lively celebration of Lenape culture.

This series of programs is sponsored by a coalition of environmental groups led by the West Chester Green Team.  Tim James, retired Westtown School faculty, organized the activities which included canoeing on the lake, pottery making in the Lenape style led by artist Karen Slossburg and painting Lenape words with their English translation on rocks.

These reminders of the Lenape, the people who lived on this land, will be put in place at Camp Linden near Marshallton later this summer.

Katie Bryan led the rock painting activity.  Bryan, who will begin her studies at William and Mary College this fall, remarked on the enthusiasm of the children about the activities.

“The rock painting station was a success!,” she said. “The kids got to learn the Lenape translation of their favorite things in nature and then paint them on rocks.

“This group particularly liked spiders or xalahputisàk in Lenape.”

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Karen Slossburg led the pottery making.

“We spent a lovely summer morning by the lake talking about how the Lenape gathered clay from local streams,” she said. “Everyone had a chance to create a pinch pot and learn about the clay.”

The free series of programs continued on Saturday, July 20 at at Bondsville Mill Park near Downingtown.  Penn State extension teachers under the leadership of Meagan Hopkins-Doerr, principal educator, explored the stream and observed native plants and the many butterflies nurtured at this Monarch nursery.

Hopkins-Doerr read the story of the Lenape calendar,…

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(For expedience’s sake, The Federation of Aboriginal Nations of the Americas will be shortened to FANA.  The SandHill Band of Lenape and Cherokee Indians (NY, NJ, PA) will be shortened to SandHill.) 

The Federation of Aboriginal Nations of the Americas has continued to grow and expand globally over the past few years.  As a result, what we found occurring is that some of the positions that people had been given, had to be changed.  This occurred because the person evolved her/his responsibilities, which led to the expansion of the person’s job description and promotion. The necessity for a new position occurs because of the continuing growth of the Federation.

This has occurred with some of our Consul Generals, Ministers, lawyers, and other staff members.  One recent position change is with SandHill Tribal member, Ms. Maria Lorena Cosme.  She had been appointed as FANA’s Director of Indigenous Affairs and Cultural Outreach to the United Nations.  
At that time, she was responsible for choosing her staff and she reported directly to FANA’s Minister of International Affairs and FANA’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Principal Chief Dr. Ronald Yonaguska Holloway of the SandHill Indians (NY, NJ, PA).

Her responsibilities had been to reach out and work with other United Nations Organizations and Tribal Nations.  However, because of the growth of FANA and its alliances with other Indigenous Peoples throughout the world, her responsibilities demanded that she expand her contacts and her abilities.

It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of my friend, Ms. Cosme, as FANA’s Global Ambassador for Women’s and Children’s Mental Health and Advancement.  She will be working with the member Tribes of FANA to coordinate women’s and children’s mental health and advancement in conjunction with the indigenous programs through the United Nations.

She will…

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Perkasie Borough is thrilled to announce the opening of “The Spine,” the highly anticipated update to the Lenape Park Skate Park, with an exciting inaugural Last Friday Skate Night program and a late-night outdoor movie.

Scheduled for 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Friday July 26, 2024, this special event will mark the beginning of a new era for skate enthusiasts in the community, providing an exciting new single coping double mini half pipe and a full reconstruction of the park’s asphalt pad.

Last Friday Skate Nights are planned for July through September and are meant to invite and include skaters of all ages and skill levels.

The inaugural Last Friday Skate Night on July 26 promises an evening filled with music, food, games, giveaways and a celebration of skate culture, and is followed by a FREE outdoor showing of “School of Rock” (PG-13) at the amphitheater in Lenape Park. The movie will begin at around 8:30pm and has a run time of 1 hour and 48 mins.

Lauren Moll, Perkasie’s director of Parks & Recreation said, “The skate park is one of the Borough’s most-utilized facilities and it’s wonderful to have been a part of this project. It feels very appropriate to host this event in July, which is National Parks & Recreation Month. We’re hoping everyone comes out to watch the skaters, enjoy the park and stay for the movie. It’s going to be an awesome evening in the park.”

Attendees at the event can purchase hot dogs and snacks and Hickory Stick ice creams, and pick up free giveaways provided by event sponsors and the Perkasie Police Department.

    Perkasie Borough   

Perkasie Borough is grateful to the event sponsors, including the Perkasie Rotary Club, K-Squared Landscaping, MLC Mechanical, Screen…

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Along the Lenape Trail.

This easy two-mile hike loops around the 157-acre Mills Reservation in Cedar Grove, Essex County, New Jersey. It runs above an old quarry and affords panoramic views of the New York City skyline. Situated atop the Watchung mountain range, the park is maintained in its natural state, with a network of woods roads and footpaths.

The hike loops around the reservation on footpaths, following the yellow-blazed Lenape Trail for most of the way and returning on the blue-blazed Eastview Trail. It should take about 90 minutes and dogs are allowed on leash. A map is available online at bit.ly/millsresmap (please note that the Mills Loop Trail and the Mills Gate Trail are not blazed on the ground with the colors indicated on the map).

To get there, take Route 4 West to the Garden State Parkway South and follow the Parkway south to Exit 154 (Clifton). Bear left after the toll booths, following the sign to Route 46, and continue west on Route 46. In 1.2 miles, take the exit for Great Notch Road. Bear right at the fork and turn right onto Great Notch Road. At the traffic circle at the bottom of the hill, turn right onto Valley Road. Proceed south on Valley Road for 1.1 miles. Just beyond the entrance to Montclair State University, turn right (at a traffic light) onto Normal Avenue. Cross the railroad tracks, continue uphill for another 0.3 mile, and turn left into the parking area for Mills Reservation at the top of the hill, just past the intersection with Granite Drive. GPS address: 31 Normal Ave/, Cedar Grove, New Jersey. The park is about 15 miles from Teaneck and it should take about 25 minutes to get there.

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(Credit: Michael Förtsch / Unsplash.com)

One Horsham man is charged with open lewdness after a woman in Lenape Park, in Sellersville, reported him “masturbating as he stared at her across the river.”

Matthew Gagat, 47, of the first block of Sterling Drive in Horsham, denies allegations that he was touching himself, police said.

Perkasie Borough Police Department was called to Lenape Park around 9:02 p.m. on June 27, reports said. A woman said that she was near a Scout cabin in the park system when she saw a man across the creek, on the Sellersville Armory side, who “appeared to be touching himself,” according to police.

She described to the police a white man around 40-years-old, standing approximately 5 feet 8 inches tall with a “stocky build” and dark hair. She said he wore a black cut-off T-shirt and blue jeans, per police reports.

Police said they made contact with Gagat in the described area of the park, and that he matched the woman’s description. Gagat denied masturbating, police said.

Following a written statement provided to police by the woman, Gagat was charged with open lewdness. 

Gagat will have a preliminary hearing on July 23 at 1 p.m. in the Magisterial District Court of Magisterial District Judge Regina Armitage is expected to be continued. A hearing is re-scheduled for Aug. 6 at 3:30 p.m. in the same Bucks County Court.

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In addition to the fifth annual performance of Opera! Pike! Park! at the Ann Street Park on August 25 at 4 p.m., Pike Opera has just announced that it has commissioned an original chamber opera, inspired by the conservation legacies of Gifford Pinchot and the Lenni Lenape, the people who inhabited the Delaware River Valley for 10,000 years before the European settlers. The opera will debut in 2025 and the announcement of such a bold endeavor added quite a bit of buzz to the annual garden party at the home of Javier Morales and Milford Mayor Sean Strub.

Morales, Pike Opera’s founder and artistic director, said, “This new opera links our deep local history to the timely, urgent, and universal imperative to protect our planet. Our hope is that the opera will also find audiences far beyond Pike County.”

Jim Pedranti, chair of the Pike Opera Board, expressed real excitement about this new work. “Celebrating Gifford Pinchot and the history of the region, we hope it can be performed regularly, perhaps every few years to celebrate and perpetuate Milford’s pioneering conservation legacy and ethos.”

The opera is a celebration of the local culture and environment, and many local people are involved in making it happen. Matt Winkler proposed the idea. “What better way to celebrate what has been created here and what is still being created here than an original work.” Winkler and his wife Lisa provided the seed money to initiate the support, in addition to support from more than 100 donors.

Eileen Smith, president of Grey Towers Heritage Association, said she is “delighted” to play a role in hosting the opening performance in 2025 in the outdoor amphitheater at Grey Towers. And, of course, Nancy Pinchot is involved as historical advisor on the project. It takes a village,…

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The second in the Lenape Chamber Ensemble’s series of Summer Gala Concerts at 8 p.m. July 20 will present a lively and contrasting program of music by three well-loved composers Robert Schumann, Claude Debussy, and Ludwig von Beethoven.

Enjoyment of the music in air-cooled comfort will be enhanced by the superb acoustics of Delaware Valley University’s Life Science auditorium, 700 E. Butler Ave., Doylestown.

On stage will be prominent members of the Philadelphia Orchestra, including the Quartet Iris with violinists Julia Li and Chistine Lim, Violist Che-Hung Chen and cellist Yumi Kendall.

For the first selection, Che-Hung Chen, a violist in the orchestra since the age of 20, joins international prizewinning pianist Marcantonio Barone in the “Marchenbilder for Viola and Piano,” written by Schumann in 1851. The work’s title, meaning “Fairy Tale pictures,” is intended to create shifting moods with the changing rhythms of its four movements,

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Next, the Quartet Iris will perform Debussy’s “String Quartet in G minor, Opus 10,” written during the time of his earlier masterpieces such as his “Prélude à l’Apres-midi d’un Faune.” It contains Debussy’s blend of classic quartet writing in the style of Cesar Franck, combined with his dream-like impressionistic methods. This particular Quartet is said to be one of the high points in chamber music literature.

The big finale is Beethoven’s lively and sparkling “Septet for Winds and Strings in E-flat, Opus 20.” Beethoven wrote…

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