Category: Lenni Lenape

On Wednesday, a collection of colorful canoes appeared on the horizon of the Lenape Sipu (Delaware River) at Scott Park in Easton, growing larger and clearer by the moment. As the canoers paddled swiftly to shore, their singing and splashing filled the air. The paddlers are members of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, and have rowed over 100 miles since the start of their journey.

The paddlers are participants in the sixth Rising Nation River Journey, a quadrennial odyssey in which Lenape rowers carry a Treaty of Renewed Friendship down the Lenape Sipu and hold treaty signings at locations along the way. This year’s journey marks the event’s 20th anniversary.

The paddlers began July 30 in Hancock, New York, and will conclude Aug. 20 in Cape May, New Jersey. There are 13 treaty signing destinations on their path, including the Sigal Museum in Easton.

The Lenape are the original inhabitants of Eastern Pennsylvania. By signing the Treaty of Renewed Friendship, organizations and individuals acknowledge the Lenape’s origins in the region and commit to supporting them in their stewardship of the land. The River Journey tradition aims to raise awareness for the presence and heritage of the Lenape people, encourage respect for their homeland, celebrate and pass on their culture. They are also fundraising for their cultural center in Easton.

“We do this every four years in order to get people to support us in taking care of the river and trying to keep it clean,” said Ken Macaulay, former cultural chief of the Lenape Cultural Center.

The Lenape also journey to interact with their land. The section of the Lenape Sipu below the Delaware Water Gap through the Easton area is one of the “most sacred, powerful” parts of the river, head coordinator Adam Waterbear DePaul said.

The River Journey also holds significance for…

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A newly released map shows for the first time in detail the controversial proposal to create a national park around the Delaware River, from the Delaware Water Gap north nearly to the New York state border.

The plan to re-designate the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area as a full-fledged national park made a resurgence last year and has been met with resistance from residents, outdoors organizations and local governments who have said they need to know more about the proposal and its potential impacts. Any change in designation would require an act of Congress.

The map was provided to lehighvalleylive.com on Friday by the Alliance for the Delaware River National Park and Lenape Preserve, a committee of the Sierra Club’s Pennsylvania and New Jersey chapters and other interested groups. The proposed boundaries break what is now the 70,000-acre national recreation area into two main sections.

• MORE: See the map in full detail

The Delaware River National Park portion would cover 9,760 acres mostly along the riverbanks in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, starting a couple of miles north of the water gap and extending just south of Milford, Pennsylvania. There are two spurs totaling 1,330 acres to incorporate the Raymondskill and Dingmans creeks and waterfalls.

The outlying 56,000 acres would be the federal Lenape Preserve, where backers say hunting would still be allowed — addressing a major complaint from opponents.

The Delaware Water Gap itself, where I-80 and the Appalachian Trail wind through a pass cut by the river, would be split between the federal park and state lands, much as it is now.

The Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is within a couple of hours of New York City and Philadelphia. The federal parklands drew an estimated 4 million visitors in 2021, comparable to the Grand Canyon or…

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KINGSTON, N.Y. — A ceremonial peace tree planting and historic peace treaty renewal between Ulster County and the Ramapough Lenape Nation will be held Friday, Aug. 5, at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, 50 Rondout Landing.

The day, billed as a “day of peace, healing, and good relations” will begin at 9:30 a.m. with a fire ceremony to be followed at 10 a.m. with the planting of a Tree of Peace at the former Kingston Visitors Center, 20 Broadway. During that ceremony, an Esopus apple tree will be planted in commemoration of the deaths of two indigenous women who ate apples from a local tree and were shot by a Dutch settler who thought they were stealing from him.

Kawisente, Chief of the Bear Clan of Kahnawake, Kanienkehaka, will lead the tree planting ceremony.

According to the release, the Tree of Peace is a metaphor for how peace can grow if it is nurtured. “Like a tall tree, peace can provide protection and comfort. Like a pine tree, peace spreads its protective branches to create a place of peace where we can gather and renew ourselves.” the announcement said. “Like the White Pine, peace also creates large white roots … that rise out of the ground so people can trace their journey to the source.”

A potluck lunch will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. (participants should bring a labeled dish), followed at 1 p.m. by the renewal of the Oct. 7, 1665, peace treaty between the indigenous Esopus people and European settlers.

The 1665 Richard Nicolls Esopus Peace Treaty, which is part of the Ulster County Clerk’s Archival Collection, is significant because it brought to a close hostility between the Esopus people and the settlers that began in 1659.

As part of the treaty, both parties promised…

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It’s true when people point out that most of us rarely look up from our phones anymore. It’s 2022 and social media is a thing. That’s what most of us are doing when you see us with our faces buried in our phones.

One of the most popular social media platforms within the entire Garden State is Instagram. What, did you think I was going to say TikTok? No, believe it or not, even with the rise of the TikTok generation, Facebook and Instagram are still the most popular social media apps in New Jersey.

Since that’s the case, it may not need further explanation if I were to say that the majority of people are always on the hunt for the best aesthetic to post on their Instagram. For those that don’t know what that means, basically, it’s referring to people always being on the lookout for the best-looking places to snap a photo to share. Instagram is, after all, primarily a highlight reel, right? Seldom do you see anybody posting anything negative on their pages.

That’s why the aesthetic is so important. Having a good aesthetic means more people will be favorable disposed to your content.

Long story short, people are always on the hunt for the best possible spots to snap a photo or record a video. Beautiful places that occur in nature are ALWAYS a top tier choice. According to New Jersey Digest, one of the most Instagram-worthy spots in the whole Garden State is right in the heart of Atlantic County. NJ Digest named Lake Lenape as one of the most aesthetically-pleasing places to take a photo you plan to share to Instagram.

MSPhotographic, Getty Images/Canva

MSPhotographic, Getty Images/Canva

Judging by the photo above, they’re definitely not wrong.

Take a look at the complete list…

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Artist Danielle Mastrion has just breathed new life into the snake, turtle and egg sprinklers at Lenape Playground in Marine Park (aka “Snake Park”) at Avenue U and East 37th Street, painting the once old and worn looking sculptures with vibrant colors and playful patterns.

Mastrion, 39, who grew up a few blocks away from the park and frequented it often as a child, is an accomplished muralist who has been painting her entire life and professionally for about 10 years.

According to Mastrion, she has completed hundreds of these striking murals, mostly on a large scale and appearing in all five boroughs with most in Brooklyn, but also nationally and internationally.

“I think this might be the first sculpture I’ve painted,” said Mastrion. “Most people see me doing flat, kind of two-dimensional stuff so it’s kind of cool to see me do something a little bit different.”

Mastrion initially reached out to Marine Park Alliance in December because she knew that there weren’t many murals in Marine Park and wanted to do this project. The nonprofit agreed to commission the work after receiving agreement from the Parks Department by early spring.

Despite nursing a broken finger she has been rehabbing since February and scorching 10-hour days in the sun, Mastrion worked tirelessly from July 9th to July 23rd to complete the project.

“This is actually pretty fun for me because I’m freestyling it,” Mastrion said.

As a portrait painter, she wanted the head and tail to look realistic and kept the diamond pattern so it wouldn’t be too unfamiliar for people. She chose bright colors to make people feel happy.

“Even though they may not necessarily understand the piece, humans just have a natural response to color,” she said. “Like when it’s a beautiful blue day,…

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WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) —About 400 years ago, the first Europeans began exploring land now known as Delaware.

As they journeyed through the region, their travels brought them face to face with the people who had lived there for millennia – the Lenni Lenape, the father tribe of the Lenape and Nanticoke Indians.

The Delaware Art Museum’s recently debuted exhibit, “In Conversation: Will Wilson,” works to forge a new relationship with Indigenous people by bringing visitors face to face with them through stories of Native people, 19th-century photography and augmented reality technology for an immersive experience that connects the past with the present.

In about a year and a half from idea to execution, the exhibition came together in whirlwind timing for show planning. Not only did the museum need to secure the artist’s availability, but they also needed to develop a relationship with Delaware’s Native population − some of the very people the artist would feature in his photos.

Building trust with sincere intention

The Delaware Art Museum exhibit showcases the photography of Will Wilson, a New Mexico-based Diné (Navajo) photographer whose work centers on Native American identity and culture.

Commissioning Will Wilson’s participation and arranging the logistics took effort, but the bulk of the endeavor came with establishing trust and relationships with Delaware’s Native American community.

Called Lenapehoking, the original homeland of the Lenape and Nanticoke encompassed present-day New Jersey, most of Delaware and eastern New York and Pennsylvania.

Iz Balleto, a community engagement specialist at the Delaware Art Museum, said due to past misrepresentation and exploitation, the Native community was not particularly interested in being involved in this project – earning their trust would be a process.

That process started with the tribal chiefs of the Delaware Lenape and Nanticoke first.

He said that after he and the museum committee…

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