Category: Lenni Lenape

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Bucks County residents are encouraged to donate blood amid a national shortage, amid the national supply dropping over 25 percent.

Bucks County residents are encouraged to donate blood amid a national shortage, writes Jessica Yakubovsky for PHL 17.  

The national supply dropped by over 25 percent since July 1. Dr. Eric Gehrie, Executive Physician Director for the Red Cross, highlighted the urgent need for Type O blood, crucial for emergency treatments.  

“Type O is especially important for victims of accidents and other trauma,” Gehrie said.  

“Now is the time for donors of all blood types to give and ensure hospital shelves can be restocked before any impact to patient care.” 

Several local blood drives are scheduled in the area, including at Neshaminy Mall in Bensalem on August 8 from 1 to 6 PM, West End Fire Company in Quakertown on August 20 from 2 to 7 PM, and Lenape Valley Presbyterian Church in New Britain on August 12 from 2 to 7 PM. 

 To make an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit their website or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). 

 Donors throughout August will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card via email. 

To see the full list of blood donation locations in Bucks County, visit PHL 17.  

Christina Rodriguez: “thanks for giving me the opportunity to be a mom”

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HAMILTON TOWNSHIP — U.S. Rep Jeff Van Drew led nearly a dozen township and Atlantic County officials on a tour of the Lake Lenape Dam on Monday for a progress update on the multimillion-dollar reconstruction project.

“Good infrastructure is the backbone of a thriving society. It leads to economic growth, increased public safety and an overall higher quality of life,” Van Drew said. “When our roads, bridges and dams are in top condition, everyone benefits. Rebuilding the Lake Lenape Dam is essential for maintaining our high standards and fortifying the integrity of our local infrastructure.”

Van Drew, R-2nd, said that as a congressman he’s always been focused on improving the district’s infrastructure.

“It’s good to see our federal dollars going toward something that is real and helps South Jersey,” Van Drew said. “When you’re a member of Congress, it’s important to take care of pressing problems in your district.”

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The dam, located at 113 Mill St. in Mays Landing, was built in the 1860s and is classified by the state Department of Environmental Protection as a “Class One High Hazard Dam,” meaning it would pose a serious risk to those in the area if it were to fail.

Township Committeeman Carl Pitale said the dam’s existing spillway is 110 feet with three gates and has been repaired multiple times. However, the gates, which control waterflow, have been getting more difficult to close over the past two decades.

“We’ve been battling to get these gates to open and close properly,” Pitale said. “We tried…

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Amber Brown and her family stood in front of an exhibit about Native American life, excitedly pointing out familiar places with native names on a map of Berks County.

“Look, Navesink, that’s Neversink Mountain,” said her son, Sebastian Brown. “It means ‘place to fish.’”

Amber and Nathan Brown and their children Sebastian, 16, and Delilah, 12, of Spring Township were among those in attendance at the Berks History Center’s first Founder’s Day open house.

Saturday’s free event offered new and returning visitors of all ages the chance to explore the artifacts and archives found in the organization’s museum, 940 Centre Ave., and library, 154 Spring St.

The Browns wandered through the museum’s three floors of exhibits, lingering on the floor that told the story of the local Lenni Lenape.

The native population had settlements at several locations in the area that later became Reading and Berks County.

A number of their names for local places have been preserved in derived form, including Maxatawny, meaning bear path creek; Moselem, meaning trout stream; and Tulpehocken, meaning land of turtles.

“We thought it was interesting that the Native American names for local places made a lot of sense,” Amber Brown said. “They named places after what they found there. The names helped them find what they needed.”

Brown grew up in Berks County and her family had visited the historic center before. She said they were surprised to learn that some Lenape place names still survive.

There is always something to learn or discover at the BHC, even for regular visitors, says Benjamin Neely, director.

The exhibitions in some galleries change regularly and many of the permanent exhibitions have been renewed in recent years, he said.

Neely noted that BHC curator Amber Vroman has added information cards in Spanish to most…

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Making sense of the air quality index and how to protect yourself from wildfire smoke in Delaware

Wildfires burning out west recently brought smoke and haze to the First State.

It’s the latest instance in what’s becoming a growing regional trend with prolonged poor air quality stemming from wildfires in the western part of the U.S. or wildfires in Canada.

This week, Delaware Public Media Kyle McKinnon talks with Angela Marconi – the Director of the Division of Air Quality for DNREC – about how to make sense of the Air Quality Index and ways to protect yourself from lingering wildfire smoke.

DPM’s Kyle McKinnon talks with DNREC Division of Air Quality head Angela Marconi about the AQI and wildfire smoke protection

Arts Playlist: ‘Frank Stewart’s Nexus’ at the Brandywine Museum of Art

Longtime New York-based photographer Frank Stewart – best known for photographing prominent Jazz musicians – has a new exhibition at the Brandywine Museum of Art.

“Frank Stewart’s Nexus: An American Photographer’s Journey, 1960s to the Present” features 100 black-and-white and color photographs that trace Stewart’s travels across the globe and his approach to capturing Black life and a range of diverse cultures.

In this edition of Arts Playlist, Delaware Public Media’s Kyle McKinnon explores “Frank Stewart’s Nexus” with Brandywine Senior Curator Amanda Burdan.

Brandywine curator Amanda Burdan explores the ‘Frank Stewart’s Nexus’ exhibit with DPM’s Kyle McKinnon

A More Just Delaware podcast: Lenape Tribe recognition in the First State

This week, The Green brings you the latest episode of Delaware Humanities’ podcast A More Just Delaware. The podcast examines pivotal moments and legislation related to hate, prejudice, and the fight for equal rights in Delaware.

In this sixth and final episode, Dennis Coker, Principal Chief of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware, discusses legislation passed in 2016 formally recognizing the Lenape Tribe of Delaware,…

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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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