Post by blackcrowheart on Dec 6, 2005 8:10:24 GMT -5
Nanticoke work to preserve their heritage
By PATRICIA V. RIVERA
The News Journal
12/04/2005
To keep its traditional culture from fading away, the state's only Indian
tribe stakes its future on its young people
James "Tee" Norwood, aka Tidewater Laughing Wolf, is chief of the Nanticokes
in Delaware.
OAK ORCHARD -- Growing up on
the shores of southern Delaware's Indian River Bay in the 1940s, Jean
"Princess Laughing Water" Norwood knew little about the white society that was
rapidly surrounding her and her tribe.
Life outside her Nanticoke community in Oak Orchard was often unfair and
sometimes cruel to American Indians like her and to other people of color.
"I wasn't allowed to sit in any local restaurants. I did not attend the
local movie theater because it was segregated, and I wasn't raised to be a
second-class citizen," recalled Norwood, 64, now the director of historic and
cultural affairs for the Nanticokes, Delaware's only state-recognized American
Indian tribe. "So there was little to do but stay with my own people."
Tribal members lived in a self-contained community that shared in the
harvesting of crops, the teaching of tribal customs such as Nanticoke-style
beading, singing, dancing, storytelling and spiritual ceremonies.
The cultural and social insulation benefitted Norwood, who says it allowed
her to grow close to the Nanticoke culture.
Today, the Nanticokes -- whose name translates into English as the
"tidewater people" -- maintain a solid community of about 200 members along the north
shore of Indian River Bay, near Millsboro. But as they've merged into the
mainstream community of Sussex County, some tribal members say the future of
Nanticoke customs and practices is in peril.
With only about 30 Nanticoke elders (most in their 70s) left to pass on what
they know about Nanticoke customs, tribal members are making a deliberate
effort this year to effect a resurgence of cultural pride among their people.
The steps they are taking include a planned expansion of the tribe's
cultural center, oral history recordings of their elders and the formation of youth
groups to instill appreciation of the Nanticoke heritage.
Tribal leaders say without those efforts, the Nanticoke tribe, like their
language -- which hasn't been spoken since the mid-1800s -- will disappear.
"Every day it becomes harder to maintain our identity, and that's why we
need to be more visible," Norwood said.
Along with her husband, Chief James "Tee" Norwood, who bears the Indian name
"Tidewater Laughing Wolf," Jean Norwood and other Nanticokes in Sussex
County are working to pass on the cultural knowledge that remains.
Documenting lives
One project, for example, will document the life stories of Nanticokes. At
least one biography, the life story of Lewes woodworker Howard Wright Sr., who
died Feb. 6, is already complete and others are in the works.
"Howard Wright, he was the 'keeper of the door,' the good-looking Indian man
who always opened the door at the Indian Mission Church," said Raggatha
Calentine, a Cherokee storyteller who is helping the Nanticokes disseminate
information. "You'd walk in, he'd put out his hand ... then pull you in and give
you a hug."
Calentine said that Wright educated the Nanticokes about the prophecy of the
Seventh Generation. Found throughout many American Indian cultures, the
prophecy says the Seventh Generation will see the environmental damage committed
by man and rise up and heal the Earth.
These days, Calentine, too, is following in Wright's footsteps. She travels
the state, illustrating how the Nanticokes lived over the years. Last month,
Calentine and other American Indians staged a presentation of dances and
storytelling at the Lewes Historical Society.
She also is involved in the interviews of the state's American Indian
community, explaining the importance of letting tribal members tell stories in the
"traditional way."
In some American Indian communities, once the harvest and hunting seasons
ended, people shared stories about how they grew up. Those stories passed on
values and beliefs.
Calentine and others want to use those stories to preserve the state's
knowledge of the Nanticoke people.
With a small number of members left -- 662 were recorded in the last Census
-- the Nanticoke have to work harder than other groups to preserve their
traditions, Jean Norwood said.
Ancestors of the Nanticokes have lived in Sussex County for more than 300
years, facing tremendous pressure, until recently, to abandon their culture.
Historians and tribe members said that during the 1800s and 1900s the
Nanticokes lost many of their customs, oral histories and even their language. Until
1881, they were classified by Delaware as part of the black population.
"The Nanticoke have had to practically invent themselves," noted historian
Bill Williams, a retired University of Delaware professor.
Historians and archaeologists from outside their community have helped them
trace their history. The late Frank G. Speck of the University of Pennsylvania
is credited with helping them organize into the viable tribe chartered by
the state's General Assembly in 1921.
Some say Speck even reconnected them with their music and movement,
eventually organizing a gathering, or powwow. "What a great irony that it was a white
man who taught them how to dance," Williams said.
The powwows lasted through 1936. The Great Depression, followed by gas
rationing during World War II, helped put an end to the celebration as tribes from
other areas could no longer reach the Indian River Bay shores.
The 20th century brought desegregation and assimilation. The tribe might
have disappeared had it not been for its young people, who had returned to the
area from Haskell Institute, a federally funded Indian school in Kansas. The
Nanticoke Indian Association reorganized itself again in 1975 as an effort to
honor its ancestors, and revived the annual powwows in 1977.
Modern powwows have proved successful in getting younger members to learn
more about their heritage.
"The powwows are like a homecoming," said Chief Norwood. "You see the
younger generations coming back to stay in touch with relatives they hardly know.
They're bringing their children to introduce them to family members."
Besides the annual gatherings, tribal members also are looking for other
activities that will showcase Nanticoke traditions throughout the year.
Increasing interest
Some argue that the tribe's efforts could be paying off. It is receiving
regular applications from people seeking to trace their roots to the Nanticokes.
Some 1,000 people belong to the Nanticoke Indian Association, and a
committee is reviewing applications to become part of the tribe.
But increasing tribal enrollment numbers isn't the only way of making sure
the Nanticokes don't disappear. Some are trying to increase the general
public's knowledge of the Nanticokes as a way of making sure the tribe's past and
its contributions to the state are not forgotten.
At the Nanticoke Indian Museum that sits off Del. 5 and Del. 24, tribe
member Patience Harmon, 84, often answers questions from people who know little
about the group.
"People are surprised that we don't live in a reservation but instead that
we own land," Harmon said. "Our history is different than that of other
tribes."
Meeting John Smith
The Nanticokes first made contact with Europeans in 1608, when Capt. John
Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay. When fighting broke out between the tribe
and the new settlers, many Nanticoke families headed north and west to avoid
the battles. Some went to southern Delaware and settled in Indian River
Hundred. Tax records show that they owned land in the area as far back as the 1600s.
"We had our own 'Trail of Tears,' " said Harmon, referring to the forced
relocation of the Cherokees from their native Southeast homes to Oklahoma 150
years ago. An estimated 4,000 Cherokee Indians died on the trek, part of a
government-run removal program.
Many Nanticoke joined other refugee tribes moving north and west,
particularly their relatives and neighbors the Lenni Lenape (or Delawares).
Some Nanticokes stayed in the area, however, and eventually formed a legal
organization.
By 1881, the state recognized the Nanticoke tribe. In 1921, members formed
the Nanticoke Indian Association, which was granted nonprofit status. Tribally
owned lands include two properties, the Nanticoke Indian Center and the
Nanticoke Indian Museum.
The museum is closed until April so the tribe can expand its collection of
historic artifacts. Members also are planning to build a replica of a
traditional Nanticoke village on newly acquired land off Del. 24. They had once
embarked on a similar plan on land behind the museum, which would have included a
sweat lodge and a garden.
"Then a hurricane five or six years ago came and blew it into the next
county, I think," Harmon said.
Tribe members were slow to rebuild because they needed muscle power, she
said. Younger Nanticokes often have obligations that leave them little time for
the tribe's projects.
Youngsters get involved
In recent years, elders found encouragement, Jean Norwood said, when a group
of teenage girls banded together, calling themselves the NDN Stick Chicks
(NDN is slang for Indian). Forming the group helped them honor their ancestors
and their culture.
Jean Norwood places her hope for the future of the state's Nanticokes on the
shoulders of youngsters such as 15-year-old Kayleigh Vickers of Millsboro --
one of the NDN Stick Chicks.
Kayleigh has danced "jingle" since she was old enough to walk. Pieces of
cone-shaped metal, or jingles, give the dance and dresses the dancers wear their
name.
During a recent presentation, Kayleigh's aunt Linda Wright chanted lyrics
used for a Nanticoke Indian toe dance. The meaning of the words has been lost
over time but the rhythmic utterance, "O hal-o-way, O hal-o-way" resonates
each time the girls appear on stage.
Using chants, the performers express their desire -- and the tribe's. "We
are the Nanticoke Indians. We are the NDN_ Stick Chicks. We are still here. We
will continue to be here."
Contact Patricia V. Rivera at 856-7373 or privera@delawareonline.com_
(mailto:privera@delawareonline.com) .
On the web
• _Nanticoke Indian Tribe_ (http://www.nanticokeindians.org/)
NANTICOKE HISTORY
1608: First European contact with the Nanticoke tribe was recorded by Capt.
John Smith. While exploring the Chesapeake Bay, Smith and his crew sail into
what they called the Kuskarawaok River, later known as the Nanticoke.
1642: Maryland Gov. Thomas Greene orders militia to attack and destroy
Nanticoke villages and force them out of the area.
1668: Chief Unnacokasimmon signs the first of a series of treaties between
Maryland and the Nanticoke. The treaties are unfair to the Nanticoke, and
settlers continue to illegally seize their lands.
1742: The Nanticokes grow tired of nearly 100 years of conflict. Their
leaders meet in Winnasoccum Swamp, near the Pocomoke River, to plan for war. The
plan, however, comes to an end when a Choptank Indian informs Maryland
colonists and leaders.
1744: Some individual Nanticoke families leave in dug out canoes and travel
north up the Susquehanna River. Others walk westward. A significant number of
Nanticokes move eastward into Delaware and settle near the Indian River.
1881: Delaware recognizes the Nanticoke tribe as a legal entity.
1921: The Nanticokes form the Nanticoke Indian Association, which is granted
nonprofit status. Tribally owned lands today include two properties, the
Nanticoke Indian Center and the Nanticoke Indian Museum.
1922: Tribe starts organizing powwows each fall, a practice that continues
until 1936.
1977: The Nanticokes revive the powwows.
1984: The Nanticoke Museum opens to collect and display items from American
Indian heritage.
2002: Nanticoke Indian Association Chief Kenneth S. Clark Sr., who served as
chief for nearly 31 years, resigns his post. James “Tee” Norwood is elected
as the tribe’s new leader.
Copyright 2005 The News Journal
_http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051204/NEWS/512040
321/1006_
(http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051204/NEWS/512040321/1006)
By PATRICIA V. RIVERA
The News Journal
12/04/2005
To keep its traditional culture from fading away, the state's only Indian
tribe stakes its future on its young people
James "Tee" Norwood, aka Tidewater Laughing Wolf, is chief of the Nanticokes
in Delaware.
OAK ORCHARD -- Growing up on
the shores of southern Delaware's Indian River Bay in the 1940s, Jean
"Princess Laughing Water" Norwood knew little about the white society that was
rapidly surrounding her and her tribe.
Life outside her Nanticoke community in Oak Orchard was often unfair and
sometimes cruel to American Indians like her and to other people of color.
"I wasn't allowed to sit in any local restaurants. I did not attend the
local movie theater because it was segregated, and I wasn't raised to be a
second-class citizen," recalled Norwood, 64, now the director of historic and
cultural affairs for the Nanticokes, Delaware's only state-recognized American
Indian tribe. "So there was little to do but stay with my own people."
Tribal members lived in a self-contained community that shared in the
harvesting of crops, the teaching of tribal customs such as Nanticoke-style
beading, singing, dancing, storytelling and spiritual ceremonies.
The cultural and social insulation benefitted Norwood, who says it allowed
her to grow close to the Nanticoke culture.
Today, the Nanticokes -- whose name translates into English as the
"tidewater people" -- maintain a solid community of about 200 members along the north
shore of Indian River Bay, near Millsboro. But as they've merged into the
mainstream community of Sussex County, some tribal members say the future of
Nanticoke customs and practices is in peril.
With only about 30 Nanticoke elders (most in their 70s) left to pass on what
they know about Nanticoke customs, tribal members are making a deliberate
effort this year to effect a resurgence of cultural pride among their people.
The steps they are taking include a planned expansion of the tribe's
cultural center, oral history recordings of their elders and the formation of youth
groups to instill appreciation of the Nanticoke heritage.
Tribal leaders say without those efforts, the Nanticoke tribe, like their
language -- which hasn't been spoken since the mid-1800s -- will disappear.
"Every day it becomes harder to maintain our identity, and that's why we
need to be more visible," Norwood said.
Along with her husband, Chief James "Tee" Norwood, who bears the Indian name
"Tidewater Laughing Wolf," Jean Norwood and other Nanticokes in Sussex
County are working to pass on the cultural knowledge that remains.
Documenting lives
One project, for example, will document the life stories of Nanticokes. At
least one biography, the life story of Lewes woodworker Howard Wright Sr., who
died Feb. 6, is already complete and others are in the works.
"Howard Wright, he was the 'keeper of the door,' the good-looking Indian man
who always opened the door at the Indian Mission Church," said Raggatha
Calentine, a Cherokee storyteller who is helping the Nanticokes disseminate
information. "You'd walk in, he'd put out his hand ... then pull you in and give
you a hug."
Calentine said that Wright educated the Nanticokes about the prophecy of the
Seventh Generation. Found throughout many American Indian cultures, the
prophecy says the Seventh Generation will see the environmental damage committed
by man and rise up and heal the Earth.
These days, Calentine, too, is following in Wright's footsteps. She travels
the state, illustrating how the Nanticokes lived over the years. Last month,
Calentine and other American Indians staged a presentation of dances and
storytelling at the Lewes Historical Society.
She also is involved in the interviews of the state's American Indian
community, explaining the importance of letting tribal members tell stories in the
"traditional way."
In some American Indian communities, once the harvest and hunting seasons
ended, people shared stories about how they grew up. Those stories passed on
values and beliefs.
Calentine and others want to use those stories to preserve the state's
knowledge of the Nanticoke people.
With a small number of members left -- 662 were recorded in the last Census
-- the Nanticoke have to work harder than other groups to preserve their
traditions, Jean Norwood said.
Ancestors of the Nanticokes have lived in Sussex County for more than 300
years, facing tremendous pressure, until recently, to abandon their culture.
Historians and tribe members said that during the 1800s and 1900s the
Nanticokes lost many of their customs, oral histories and even their language. Until
1881, they were classified by Delaware as part of the black population.
"The Nanticoke have had to practically invent themselves," noted historian
Bill Williams, a retired University of Delaware professor.
Historians and archaeologists from outside their community have helped them
trace their history. The late Frank G. Speck of the University of Pennsylvania
is credited with helping them organize into the viable tribe chartered by
the state's General Assembly in 1921.
Some say Speck even reconnected them with their music and movement,
eventually organizing a gathering, or powwow. "What a great irony that it was a white
man who taught them how to dance," Williams said.
The powwows lasted through 1936. The Great Depression, followed by gas
rationing during World War II, helped put an end to the celebration as tribes from
other areas could no longer reach the Indian River Bay shores.
The 20th century brought desegregation and assimilation. The tribe might
have disappeared had it not been for its young people, who had returned to the
area from Haskell Institute, a federally funded Indian school in Kansas. The
Nanticoke Indian Association reorganized itself again in 1975 as an effort to
honor its ancestors, and revived the annual powwows in 1977.
Modern powwows have proved successful in getting younger members to learn
more about their heritage.
"The powwows are like a homecoming," said Chief Norwood. "You see the
younger generations coming back to stay in touch with relatives they hardly know.
They're bringing their children to introduce them to family members."
Besides the annual gatherings, tribal members also are looking for other
activities that will showcase Nanticoke traditions throughout the year.
Increasing interest
Some argue that the tribe's efforts could be paying off. It is receiving
regular applications from people seeking to trace their roots to the Nanticokes.
Some 1,000 people belong to the Nanticoke Indian Association, and a
committee is reviewing applications to become part of the tribe.
But increasing tribal enrollment numbers isn't the only way of making sure
the Nanticokes don't disappear. Some are trying to increase the general
public's knowledge of the Nanticokes as a way of making sure the tribe's past and
its contributions to the state are not forgotten.
At the Nanticoke Indian Museum that sits off Del. 5 and Del. 24, tribe
member Patience Harmon, 84, often answers questions from people who know little
about the group.
"People are surprised that we don't live in a reservation but instead that
we own land," Harmon said. "Our history is different than that of other
tribes."
Meeting John Smith
The Nanticokes first made contact with Europeans in 1608, when Capt. John
Smith explored the Chesapeake Bay. When fighting broke out between the tribe
and the new settlers, many Nanticoke families headed north and west to avoid
the battles. Some went to southern Delaware and settled in Indian River
Hundred. Tax records show that they owned land in the area as far back as the 1600s.
"We had our own 'Trail of Tears,' " said Harmon, referring to the forced
relocation of the Cherokees from their native Southeast homes to Oklahoma 150
years ago. An estimated 4,000 Cherokee Indians died on the trek, part of a
government-run removal program.
Many Nanticoke joined other refugee tribes moving north and west,
particularly their relatives and neighbors the Lenni Lenape (or Delawares).
Some Nanticokes stayed in the area, however, and eventually formed a legal
organization.
By 1881, the state recognized the Nanticoke tribe. In 1921, members formed
the Nanticoke Indian Association, which was granted nonprofit status. Tribally
owned lands include two properties, the Nanticoke Indian Center and the
Nanticoke Indian Museum.
The museum is closed until April so the tribe can expand its collection of
historic artifacts. Members also are planning to build a replica of a
traditional Nanticoke village on newly acquired land off Del. 24. They had once
embarked on a similar plan on land behind the museum, which would have included a
sweat lodge and a garden.
"Then a hurricane five or six years ago came and blew it into the next
county, I think," Harmon said.
Tribe members were slow to rebuild because they needed muscle power, she
said. Younger Nanticokes often have obligations that leave them little time for
the tribe's projects.
Youngsters get involved
In recent years, elders found encouragement, Jean Norwood said, when a group
of teenage girls banded together, calling themselves the NDN Stick Chicks
(NDN is slang for Indian). Forming the group helped them honor their ancestors
and their culture.
Jean Norwood places her hope for the future of the state's Nanticokes on the
shoulders of youngsters such as 15-year-old Kayleigh Vickers of Millsboro --
one of the NDN Stick Chicks.
Kayleigh has danced "jingle" since she was old enough to walk. Pieces of
cone-shaped metal, or jingles, give the dance and dresses the dancers wear their
name.
During a recent presentation, Kayleigh's aunt Linda Wright chanted lyrics
used for a Nanticoke Indian toe dance. The meaning of the words has been lost
over time but the rhythmic utterance, "O hal-o-way, O hal-o-way" resonates
each time the girls appear on stage.
Using chants, the performers express their desire -- and the tribe's. "We
are the Nanticoke Indians. We are the NDN_ Stick Chicks. We are still here. We
will continue to be here."
Contact Patricia V. Rivera at 856-7373 or privera@delawareonline.com_
(mailto:privera@delawareonline.com) .
On the web
• _Nanticoke Indian Tribe_ (http://www.nanticokeindians.org/)
NANTICOKE HISTORY
1608: First European contact with the Nanticoke tribe was recorded by Capt.
John Smith. While exploring the Chesapeake Bay, Smith and his crew sail into
what they called the Kuskarawaok River, later known as the Nanticoke.
1642: Maryland Gov. Thomas Greene orders militia to attack and destroy
Nanticoke villages and force them out of the area.
1668: Chief Unnacokasimmon signs the first of a series of treaties between
Maryland and the Nanticoke. The treaties are unfair to the Nanticoke, and
settlers continue to illegally seize their lands.
1742: The Nanticokes grow tired of nearly 100 years of conflict. Their
leaders meet in Winnasoccum Swamp, near the Pocomoke River, to plan for war. The
plan, however, comes to an end when a Choptank Indian informs Maryland
colonists and leaders.
1744: Some individual Nanticoke families leave in dug out canoes and travel
north up the Susquehanna River. Others walk westward. A significant number of
Nanticokes move eastward into Delaware and settle near the Indian River.
1881: Delaware recognizes the Nanticoke tribe as a legal entity.
1921: The Nanticokes form the Nanticoke Indian Association, which is granted
nonprofit status. Tribally owned lands today include two properties, the
Nanticoke Indian Center and the Nanticoke Indian Museum.
1922: Tribe starts organizing powwows each fall, a practice that continues
until 1936.
1977: The Nanticokes revive the powwows.
1984: The Nanticoke Museum opens to collect and display items from American
Indian heritage.
2002: Nanticoke Indian Association Chief Kenneth S. Clark Sr., who served as
chief for nearly 31 years, resigns his post. James “Tee” Norwood is elected
as the tribe’s new leader.
Copyright 2005 The News Journal
_http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051204/NEWS/512040
321/1006_
(http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051204/NEWS/512040321/1006)