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Visit With The Lenni Lenape
August
13, 2002
On
Tuesday night, around two hundred Boy Scouts, leaders
and parents met with members of the Lenape Nation for an
evening of cultural education at the privately-owned
Bucks County Picnics off of
River Road
in Upper Black Eddy.
Three
troops that normally meet on Tuesdays had planned to
attend in lieu of their meetings, which were being held
as a group all summer anyway.
The remainder of the Scouts had heard about it or
were Arrowmen, and a fair contingent was attending
nearby
Camp
Ockanickon
for
the week and were not even from the area.
The Lenape Tribe was camping overnight at the facility,
a stop on their journey down the
Delaware River
designed to mark a
renewed brotherhood between the Lenape and the people
living along the river’s shores.
The Scouts were addressed by Bob Williams of the Lenape
Tribe, who began by asking who the Lenape are, and what
made them different from the Europeans who came to
America
later.
After hearing several answers, Bob informed the
crowd that Lenape is the word for “human”, and Lenni
the word for “first”.
The Lenni Lenape of the region, he asserted, were
just human beings who happened to be there before the
others arrived.
The difference between the Lenape and the Europeans were
brought about by geography, which accounted for
differences in culture, traditions, and spirituality.
Bob reminded everyone that there were many things
that have nearly been lost in time, the working of the
soil, using one’s hands and brains to survive rather
than relying on stores to provide goods such as bowls,
utensils, and food.
Being in harmony with nature and each other was
demonstrated by showing how a wooden shaft, feathers,
rock and sinew worked in harmony to make an arrow.
Glue made from sap, animal fat etc. holds the
parts together.
As Bob spoke to the growing crowd, he began working on a
new arrowhead. Using
a hammer rock, he chipped off a piece of Jasper from a
quarry in
Allentown
, where the tribe has
obtained the rock for thousands of years.
Explaining that arrowhead artifacts and knife
blade artifacts look very similar, you can tell the
difference by looking at the edges.
A knife would have duller edges as a result of
being used to cut things frequently, where an arrow
would have sharper edges.
Bob mentioned that the shafts were often made of Viburnm
or a weed known as Arrow wood, and paused in his
arrowhead making to quickly make a shaft scraper from a
chip of Jasper. Then,
using deer antlers sharpened on a rock, he worked at the
Jasper he’d chipped for the arrowhead.
Amongst the facts he gave the crowd was how the
Lenape were part of a greater nation known as the Algonquins.
Upon completing the arrowhead, Bob described how a piece
of deerskin would be spiral cut, soaked, and stretched
to make bowstring for a firestarter.
Explaining the different parts, he then moved the
crowd to an area where a large campfire had been
prepared in traditional manner.
Using his home-made gear, Bob started the fire,
allowing a young Scout to help by blowing on the glowing
coal he had created and set in the tinder.
Jim Beer, also a member of the Lenape tribe,
entered the campfire circle to tell the story of Rainbow
Crow, essentially the story of fire.
Afterward, he had the crowd join hands, and explained
how to do a friendship dance.
Other tribe members had set up a traditional
drum, and began to drum out the beat and sing.
The crowd of nearly 200 danced around the fire
for some
time, then a short ceremony followed during which
the SPLs of T123,168, &102
presented Jim Beer a day pack with some raisins
and other snacks inside
to help them on their journey.
At
this time, a good number of us had to leave, since the
parents of our charges would be waiting for us at
9pm
, and it was
8:45
.
An hour’s drive was ahead of us, but being late
was well worth it. The
very informative night was not only fun but made you
feel good….this comment was echoed by the boys I spoke
to.
For more information on the Treaty to be signed on
August 24 and the Trek, check out the Lena’pe
Culture website.
George Bruck, Jr
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