Tag: Delaware Tribe

Longform

The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania is fighting for governmental recognition — despite pushback from other Lenape tribes — raising big questions about who gets to call themselves Native and how the state views its history.

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Lenape tribal member Rick Quiet Hawk Welker, photographed at a powwow at Mauch Chunk Lake. Photograph by Kevin York

It’s a muggy mid-September Sunday, and kayakers and vacationing families are taking in the calm waters of Mauch Chunk Lake, a small reservoir in the southern Poconos. While beachgoers lounge on the sand and watch eagles cruise above the trees, another group is gathered a few hundred yards up the shore for an even more traditional lakeside activity: a Native American powwow. The reverberation of drumbeats, along with the smell of burning sage and barbecue, hangs in the humid air, floating across the parking lot between the powwow and the beach.

Many of the people dancing, chatting and celebrating at the powwow claim ancestral connections to the Lenape (leh-NAH-pay), the Indigenous people of the Delaware Valley. Some are dressed in full regalia, wearing head-to-toe beads and painted feathers, attracting stares from those who came to Mauch Chunk Lake for swimming or a hike. They gawk, open-mouthed. Some take pictures. It’s as if the last thing they expected to see on their weekend trip to the Poconos was the people who lived here first.

It’s a common belief that there are no longer any Lenape (sometimes called Delaware Indians, the name given to them by European colonists) in Pennsylvania. It is widely presumed that every single Lenape person was forcibly relocated to…

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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State student organizations and units at campuses across the commonwealth will be holding events in honor of National Native American Heritage Month, celebrated during the month of November. Here’s a look at some of the events taking place at the University’s campuses. Please check back, as additional events may be added throughout the month.

According to the Library of Congress Native American Heritage Month website, Native American Heritage Month, also known as American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month, celebrates the rich and diverse cultures, traditions and histories of the Native people and recognizes the significant contributions of the first Americans. 

This recognition began as American Indian Day on the second Saturday of each May. The day was established through a proclamation by the Congress of the American Indian Association’s president on September 28, 1915, and was the first formal appeal for recognition of Indians as citizens. In 1990, then-U.S. President George H.W. Bush approved a joint resolution designating November 1990 “National American Indian Heritage Month.”

Acknowledgement of Land

This past summer, in collaboration with the Indigenous Peoples Student Association (IPSA) and the Indigenous Faculty and Staff Alliance (IFSA), Penn State’s Office of Educational Equity and Office of the President developed a land acknowledgement, a formal, institutional statement that recognizes and respects Indigenous peoples as the original stewards of this land and the enduring relationship between Indigenous peoples and their historic territories, which reads:

The Pennsylvania State University campuses are located on the original homelands of the Erie, Haudenosaunee (Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk, and Tuscarora), Lenape (Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe, Stockbridge-Munsee), Shawnee (Absentee, Eastern, and Oklahoma), Susquehannock, and Wahzhazhe (Osage) Nations. As a land grant institution, we acknowledge and honor the traditional caretakers of these lands and strive to understand and model their responsible stewardship….

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An opportunity to learn more about the Lenape people through the eyes of cultural experts and members of the Delaware Tribe is coming soon during a live, free Facebook event @BartlesvilleAreaHistoryMuseum. 

Special guests including Delaware Chief Brad Killscrow and Delaware Tribal Princess Morgan Messimore will be on hand as Curtis Zunigha, Delaware Cultural Center director, Anita Mathis, archivist, and Jim Rementer, language program director, will take guests on a virtual tour of the “Delaware: The Faces of Lenape” exhibit in Pioneer Gallery at 7 p.m. on Nov. 16. 

Museum coordinator Delaney Williams said that tribal members will add nuance to the experience and more information than already exists in the exhibit. On display since September, the exhibit has attracted a lot of interest and visitors have made a special trip up to the 5th floor of City Hall at 401 S. Johnston Ave.  

“It’s been a lot of fun to get to talk to people,” Williams said. “We’ve actually had a lot of people who are descendants to some of these people who have bios on the panel.”  

The exhibit was a collaboration between museum staff and Delaware Cultural Center with items on loan from the cultural center and Woolaroc. It includes 21 panels of carefully researched information that highlights key points in the history of the Delaware Tribe from the 1500s to today. 

More than 70 objects are on display including musical instruments, traditional clothing and the original Charles Journeycake stained glass from the Journeycake Memorial Baptist Church (now First Baptist Church Dewey).  

Debbie Neece, collections manager, said the exhibit is a “must see” cultural experience for all ages. 

“Washington County has a rich and diverse history,” she said. “This exhibit will show you the world of the Lenape tribe as they left their Pennsylvania homeland, transitioned to Indian Territory and their cultural foothold as experienced today.” 

The live event will stay on the museum’s Facebook page so anyone who does not have an opportunity to see it in person will be able to experience the virtual tour.  

Williams said they will be taking down the exhibit the last week in November so visitors who want to see it…

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“Our ancestors are still here, their footsteps are still here, their voices are still here, and I want to thank you for being here for us and for them.”

During a reception to mark the opening of a new permanent exhibit at the Pike County Historical Society, Larry Heady of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, addressed local residents gathered on the steps of the Columns Museum on the evening of Oct. 6.

The exhibit, “The Lënape, Original People Reconciling The Past, Embracing The Future,” tells the story of the Indians native to our region and the diaspora that took them far from their homelands in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. It includes the obelisk for Tom Quick that once stood in Milford Borough and explains the story and controversy behind it.

Bonney Hartley, of the Stockbridge-Munsee Community based in Bowler, Wisconsin, began her remarks in the Lenape language to honor and acknowledge her ancestors. She spoke of the importance of the exhibit, especially for the school children that will come through, and who “will be able to learn about our history and who we are today, and know that the Lenape people are still here and still engaged in our homeland.”

She continued, “It really respects what our ancestors have painfully endured but also celebrates our continued existence and resiliency.”

Daniel StrongWalker Thomas, the Traditional Chief of the Delaware Nation based in Anadarko, Oklahoma, said he appreciated the friendship that has been forged. Referring to the land Pike County residents enjoy today, he said, “As you admire this beauty, remember us and keep us in your hearts.”

Lenape and Quicks meet in friendship

The exhibit was created from a partnership between three Lenape tribes, the Quick family, Milford Borough and the Pike County Historical Society. The Columns…

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As the caravan arrived, Miller gave the agents a full tour. He took them into the basement, where Archer saw the collection he’d been imagining for months. It made him dizzy. Then they entered the other buildings on the property. They started finding boxes of artifacts that appeared to have been sitting around for decades. Some were covered in dirt, others infested with mice, rats, insects, feces.

Then Miller took them into a locked room underneath the white farmhouse. Archer saw a brown shopping bag. Inside were eight skulls. Three more sat on a shelf. They found a garbage bag full of bones, and as they looked inside, a raccoon came flying out. Miller ushered them through a tunnel full of standing water that led to the Wyman Research building, where agents saw dozens of blue and green tote bins. They were full of human remains, many haphazardly thrown together. Some were infants and toddlers. On one shelf, a dozen skulls sat lined up, impacted with red soil in various states of repose. Miller said he’d excavated them five years earlier in New Mexico from an unmarked burial site. “He was so proud of those,” Carpenter said. It was his last dig, he told them. Carpenter noticed Miller only had the skulls and asked where the bodies were. We left those there, Miller said.

In the barn, agents found more bags of bones and skulls, some that had sat there for 50 years, never opened. Inside the main residence, in a basement closet, were two dozen more skulls on shelves, some with arrowheads sticking out of them. They also found a skeleton in a display case Miller said was Crazy Horse, the Lakota Native American who was buried in an unknown location. “He didn’t want anyone touching it,” Carpenter said. “It would…

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Operation Clean House (OCH) has served as an environmentally-friendly beacon in Washington County for 32 years, and 2021 was no different.

Operation Clean House was held on Saturday, Sept. 18 from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Liz Campbell, the Lead Director of OCH, says they collected a ton of hazardous waste and electronic waste at their Bartlesville and Dewey locations this year. Campbell says they took in 14,600 pounds of hazardous waste such as household chemicals and pesticides. She says they collected 38,000 lbs. of electronic waste (i.e. computers, televisions, VCRs, etc.) and over 650 gallons of oil as well.

The oil was re-used at the Washington County District Two barn two miles to the east of Dewey on West 1500 Road.

Almost 100 gallons of anti-freeze was collected during OCH. Campbell says there were even three dump trucks full of appliances that were properly disposed of as well. She says it was amazing to see how much material they prevented from being taken to the landfill this year.

Since 1989, Operation Clean House has collected 367,000 lbs. of hazardous waste. A total of 765,000 lbs. worth of electronics and 11,069 gallons of oil have been taken in over the years as well. These numbers include this year’s totals.

A total of 927 vehicles made their way to the two OCH locations this year. Campbell says there were just over 680 cars that came to drop off waste at the Phillips 66 parking lot in Bartlesville. She says they saw 245 vehicles come through the Dewey location.

A significant number of Washington County citizens participated in the event. Campbell applauds the volunteers that came out to help make our neck of the woods cleaner and safer for all to enjoy….

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BUCKHANNON — West Virginia Senator Bill Hamilton, a Buckhannon native and Buckhannon-Upshur High School graduate, presented the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) Grant Award of $5,000 to the Upshur County Commission Thursday morning, for the Warren District Community Building.

“It’s a privilege to be here with you all today,” Senator Hamilton began. He noted that it has been a rough year on everyone, but especially community centers. When Senator Hamilton spoke with individuals from the Warren District Community Building, he was reportedly informed they recently had to replace part of their HVAC and septic systems.

According to Senator Hamilton, this check was presented on behalf of Governor Jim Justice, Senate President Craig Blaire, Finance Chair/Senator Eric Tarr, Senator Robert Karnes and himself.

He noted that he will be bringing another check soon to help support the Upshur County Youth Camp. “Of course, that’s pretty close to my heart because I am an old 4-Her from Upshur County—Delaware Tribe, I might add,” he laughed.

Cary Smith and Norman Rohr, board members of the Warren District Community Building, were present to receive the check on behalf of the community building Thursday morning.

Commission President Kristie Tenney expressed gratitude and appreciation for the check presented. “We truly appreciate it,” she commented to Senator Bill Hamilton.

County Commissioners also discussed a plan of action for the Hampton Community Building. County Administrator Carrie Wallace explained to Commissioners that in May of 2001, this property was deeded to the Hampton Community Church trustees for use as a community building. Wallace referenced Senator Hamilton’s statements regarding the financial load some of these community buildings are carrying, and said the Hampton Community Building is no exception. Earlier this year, one of the United Methodist trustees corresponded with County Commissioners, letting them know they would like to turn the property back over to the Commission.

According…

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The upcoming long holiday weekend marks a first for the city.

What’s happening: Philadelphia will officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day, rather than Columbus Day, on Monday.

The big picture: Philly is joining a growing number of cities — and states — that have ditched Columbus Day for some form of Indigenous Peoples’ Day.

• Native American groups have long pushed for the change due to concerns the Italian explorer helped bring about the genocide of Indigenous people in the Americas.
• The transition has been met by backlash from some Italian Americans who celebrate Christopher Columbus as the nation’s first Italian immigrant.

Of note: The U.S. government and Pennsylvania still recognize Columbus Day.

What they’re saying: Mayor Jim Kenney said in an emailed statement that the official designation was an “opportunity to recognize and teach about the atrocities that have occurred to Indigenous people through colonialism.”

• Ben Miller, a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma and part of Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly Inc., told Mike it makes a big difference to have official political understanding and recognition from the city.
• “The day that we’re putting in place is to recognize those who have been forgotten about,” said Miller.

Catch up fast: Kenney penned an executive order this year to change the holiday observed on the second Monday of October to Indigenous Peoples’ Day and to officially recognize Juneteenth. The actions were part of his administration’s response to the 2020 protests against police brutality following the killing of George Floyd.

• The mayor’s order triggered a federal lawsuit seeking to reverse it and maintain Columbus Day as an officially recognized holiday.
• The city’s request to dismiss the federal lawsuit is pending.

The other side: Jody Della Barba, a member of the Italian American group 1492 Society and an organizer for this weekend’s Columbus Day parade, called it “ethnic discrimination”…

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Next week, for the first time, Philadelphia will officially celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day, thanks to an executive order by Mayor Kenney last February that replaced Columbus Day with a celebration of Native Americans on the second Monday in October.

In some ways, it marked the end of a long fight, with Philly following the lead of cities across the country that have stopped celebrating the man who “discovered” America and started honoring the Indigenous Peoples who are still thriving right here in our city and across the country.

But to Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly co-founder and executive director Mabel Negrete, it’s only the beginning of the work needed to properly acknowledge the first people to occupy this region—starting with recognizing the Lenape tribes in the diaspora as sovereign nations with rights to land in our state. Pennsylvania is one of about a dozen states that doesn’t recognize a single tribe.

“It’s bittersweet, that 339 years later, the local governments are actually now talking to us,” says Ben Miller, member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians.

Those conversations are starting, though. Last month, chiefs from the five federally recognized Delaware tribes (none of which live on their original homelands, or even in the state) met virtually with Governor Wolf and his cabinet for the first time.

“It’s bittersweet, that 339 years later the local governments are actually now talking to us,” says artist Ben Miller, who helped organize the virtual meeting (and is also organizing Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly’s event this year). He’s a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, which has about 12,000 members and is based in Oklahoma—where many Lenape resettled after being displaced—on Cherokee lands. “We are discussing an opportunity to come back home,” Miller says. “We want to get to…

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The Pike County Historical Society is opening a new permanent exhibit, “The Lenape, Original People, Reconciling the Past, Embracing the Future,” at the Columns Museum in Milford. The exhibit will open on Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 1 pm.

The exhibit is the result of a five-year collaboration between the Delaware Tribe of Indians, the Delaware Nation and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community (the three federally recognized Lenape tribes) in partnership with Milford Borough, descendants of the family of Tom Quick and the Pike County Historical Society.

The exhibit tells the story of the Lenape Indians, the indigenous people of the region, from the pre-Colonial era through today. The exhibit addresses, among others topics, the forced relocation of the tribes, the legend of Tom Quick (the so-called “Indian Slayer of the Delaware”) and the Walking Purchase Treaty, a land swindle perpetrated on the Lenape that includes part of Pike County.

“We are proud to be able to tell this important part of Pike County’s history,” said Lori Strelecki, the Columns Museum curator. “The fact that the exhibit was created in partnership with the Lenape tribes, the Quick family and the Borough makes it especially meaningful.”

Brad Kill’s Crow, Chief of the Anadarko, Oklahoma-based Delaware Tribe of Indians, said “We have not vanished or even diminished as a People. We are, however, far from the hearts and minds of the people of Pike County and the Borough of Milford. Over 1,300 miles, in fact, due to the United States Indian removal policies. The removal from our Homelands still hurts our hearts today. We hope this exhibit will remind people that we are still here today — the Original People of Pike County.”

For 100 years, a zinc obelisk honoring Tom Quick was displayed as a point of pride in Milford Borough. In 1999, the…

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