November is Native American Heritage Month, a time for appreciating, recognizing and paying tribute to the Indigenous people whose land this country was wrongfully founded on.
The history of the relationship between Native Americans and the European settlers who landed on their shores has been notoriously white-washed. Over time, many attempts have been made to erase not only their plight at the hands of the settlers but also their contributions to America’s progress.
Despite the inextricable relevance of Indigenous presences in America, many people know next to nothing about the history of the specific tribes who live in their region.
The Lenape people, also known as the Delaware Tribe, lived and still do live in the area that now encompasses New Jersey, Delaware and parts of Pennsylvania and New York. But when colonists began to arrive in the early 17th century, the Lenape were tricked out of their land by white settlers and forced to leave their homes, ending up displaced thousands of miles away in an allocated area of Kansas. Despite this, almost all of the eligible Delaware men voluntarily enlisted in the Union effort during the Civil War, even as white trespassers stole from them and unlawfully occupied their land.
This is obviously admirable, but Native Americans should not need to be heroes to be celebrated and acknowledged. It is enough that they were here first, as sovereign nations, and still they have not been given the attention or respect they deserve.
Montclair State University has a somewhat turbulent history when it comes to its relationship with Native American heritage and culture. During the 1930s, Montclair State’s athletic logo was changed from a simple red “M” to a stereotypical profile of a Native American chief, and the team name was changed in…
