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Today there are over 550 different Native seek economic opportunity as well as to
American tribes recognized by the Federal maintain cultural traditions that were in-
Government and thereby eligible for special creasingly altered or influenced by the new-
services and preferred treatment. The real comers. Those who remained in their an-
• Our Vision history of each of these tribes is a fascinat- cient homeland, or homeland at least since
The Susquehanna River Ar- ing and very complex story. For the Lenape ca. 1000 CE, merged into the colonial
chaeological Center of Native the major “historical” events in their aborigi- population (Becker 1990a, 1992c, 1993a).
Indian Studies (S.R.A.C.) is dedi- nal homeland took place over a period of
cated to education, research and Many popular beliefs now blur distinctions
some 200 years, ca. 1550 to 1750. During
preservation of the Native between these many aboriginal tribes of the
the first part of this period of European con-
American archaeological, cul- Delaware Valley, creating a fictitious
tact some adventurous Lenape began to
tural and historical assets of the "Indian" that never existed. In the twentieth
move away. By 1737 most of the more tra-
Twin Tier Region of Northeast- century a Pan-Indian political movement
ditional members of the Lenape people had
ern PA and Southern NY.
moved out of the Delaware Valley, both to (Continued on page 6)
The Susquehanna
BecomeRiver Archaeological
a member of Center
SRACof today!
Native Indian
See Studies
back ~ www.SRACenter.org
page for more ~ email Info@SRACenter.org
information.
Page 2 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
(Continued from page 1) explain local artifacts, their design and seum, which was the Wyoming Valley
their age. While this might seem ri- Historical Society in Wilkes Barre, PA.
would put her on a path that would diculous today, until professional ar- The Society’s Harrison Wright and S.
change her life forever. The reason for chaeology became a science, anti- F. Wadhams came in April, 1883,
this is that while digging the trench quarianism was the most scholarly ap- measured off the plot in twelve-foot
through the Murray garden, the work- proach to understanding the artifacts of intervals from the original grave, and
men uncovered a very special Susque- past cultures in the United States. began excavations.
hannock burial ground. Louise would later observe that there
The following is the actual diagram
were two notable types of antiquarians
It is important to note that Archaeology and explanation of the site by Harrison
that existed: those that looked for arti-
as a science did not even exist in Wright, courtesy of the Wyoming Val-
facts as “evidence” and a way to pre-
1882. “Antiquarianism” in the United ley Historical Society.
serve the past, and those that looked
States had begun in the 19th century
for artifacts for their own personal gain. Defined Plot: About 80 feet long and
and was the basic study of archaeo-
While most would be categorized as about 20 – 30 feet wide. In the corner,
logical evidence before there was
the latter by the next generation of twenty feet from the north line was
much science associated with it. There
scientists, Louise Welles Murray found, underground, a pillar of eight
is documentation that in fact Millard
would actually make the transition large drift stones, and with them a flat
Murray at least had been an antiquar-
from antiquarian to scientist in her stone on which is roughly cut the exact
ian of sorts and knew of many sites
lifetime. proportion of the plot.
that existed at Tioga Point and the sur-
rounding region. Millard and other anti- I have to wonder what my response Grave #1 contained a skeleton above
quarians of the region relied on the would have been if workmen dug up the average height, buried in a sitting
latest books and theories of the time artifacts while working in my yard back posture, with turtle-shell rattles in good
(many times based on mythology and then. The Murray’s response was to
legends, rather than science) to try to take these artifacts to the nearest mu-
(Continued on page 3)
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Page 3 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
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Page 4 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
(Continued from page 3) cle of graves, about three feet underground on a layer of
clay, were eight pots carefully embedded in sand.
Every one had been perforated by thread-like apple roots,
and all were broken by a careless workman who was re-
moving the stump just after a day's futile excavation by a
second party from Wilkes-Barre.
Throughout this plot with one exception the skeletons
were flexed but buried in a sitting posture, often with the
right hand upraised and bearing a pot containing food,
arrow points, or seeds, the latter leading to the conjecture
that the old apple trees may have grown from these very
seeds…
But it was the pottery that attracted most attention; and in
all the museums we have visited we have yet to find faces
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Page 5 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
Meetings:
407 E. Main St, Have a Dandy Day!
Endicott, NY
7:30 PM, 4th Thursday, Nearly 60 stores in
except July, Aug., & Dec.
PA and NY
email:
nysaatcc@yahoo.com
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Page 6 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
The Susquehanna River Archaeological Center of Native Indian Studies ~ www.SRACenter.org ~ email Info@SRACenter.org
Page 7 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
(Continued from page 6) bounds as well as detailed lists of 2005) being given to Indians, merits a
goods given for the land and excruciat- study by itself.
Lenape had been sold before, to ingly detailed accounts of what rights
6. Myth: Archaeological sites where
Swedes as well as to other English were included in the land sale, such as
large numbers of stone tools are found
colonists. Some of these Lenape had “fishing, fowling, etc. Furthermore, peri-
represent Lenape “villages.”
abandoned these lands more than 100 odic confirmation treaties were held for
years before Penn first arrived in the almost every one of these sales! At Reality: Archaeological sites in south-
Delaware Valley in 1682. Many more these confirmation treaties, the vendors eastern Pennsylvania and much of the
had moved west by 1661 to become would be invited to attend with all their northeast have a long history, and
involved in the lucrative pelt trade. kin. The deeds then would be read so many have been reused for thousands
Many other Lenape groups left after that all present could hear what had of years (multi-component sites). The
1675 when the Susquehannock Con- been paid and what lands had been use of these sites by a single family, or
federacy of central Pennsylvania was bought, and the ancient (and usually a small band, even only once a year,
destroyed by the Five Nations Iroquois. non-literate) vendors would confirm for 15,000 years, can easily create
Other Lenape never left. By the time (verify) their marks (signatures) for the huge collections of stone tools. The
that Penn arrived, so many of the Le- next generation, whose members then historic Lenape, as a distinct people,
nape bands had left the area to be- could sign the confirmation record. All came into being after 1000 CE. These
come rich in the pelt trade that he had these native people were then pre- Lenape, and most of their neighbors,
difficulty in calling them back into the sented with “gifts” or resources that rapidly shifted to the use of metal tools
Delaware Valley to arrange the pur- were, in effect, a type of payment for after 1600 CE. By 1650 or perhaps as
chases of their abandoned areas. Still their services as legal witnesses to the late as 1660 the Lenape had all but
other Lenape married among the colo- original treaties. abandoned the use of stone for making
nials, or otherwise merged into colonial tools.
Modern claims that the natives did not
society.
understand what was going on reflect Some Notes on What the “Lenape”
A myth related to the idea that these ignorance of the documentary record, and Their Neighbors were Called:
people were forced from their lands is or deliberately ignore that record. I do
one suggesting that the Lenape (and not know when the first claims of igno- "Lenni Lenape" is a usage found
largely among historians that can be
other Indians) were ignorant of con- rance regarding European land rights
cepts of land ownership. This basically were made, or if they were made by traced to the nineteenth century. It was
is a racist view in that it suggests that natives or by non-natives. All fail to not and is not in common use by the
Lenape or their descendants. It ap-
the Indians were uniformly stupid and consider the vast numbers of docu-
unable to conceptualize land rights ments and make up stories regarding pears to have derived from a letter from
such as those held by the immigrants. the historical and archaeological re- the Ohio frontier that included a call to
the "real Lenape" who remained behind
At best it reflects ignorance of the cords.
changes in land sales over a period of in various parts of Pennsylvania to join
5. Myth: Disease was a major factor in their kin in the west. The alliterative
more than a century, which can be un-
the "demise" of the Lenape. qualities of this designation appear to
derstood only through reading the
many deeds in chronological order Reality: Disease had no more impact be the principal reason that non-native
(e.g. Kent 1979). People who make on the Lenape than on the colonists (cf. speakers seem to like this designation.
such claims about “ignorant” Indians Snow 1995). The popular myth regard- A related problem is the development
have never read any of the documents. ing disease wiping out the Indians is a of the common fiction that "Lenape"
The early land sales from the Lenape racist view suggesting that the native and "Delaware" are synonymous.major
were for small holdings, and the peoples of the Americas, after many native groups have, at one time or an-
boundaries are generally as imprecise years of contact with Europeans, re- other, been glossed as "Delaware": the
as they are unimportant. The definition mained biologically inferior to the immi- Lenape, the Lenopi, and the Munsee.
of precise borders became a problem grants. This view also depends on the All three of these groups were collec-
common throughout the colonies. Even idea that the only “Indians” are people tively called the "River Indians" in the
the very important and very famous who wear buckskins and feathers or seventeenth century. All three of these
Mason and Dixon’s Line was not sur- wampum, and that once natives groups did use the Delaware River as
veyed until 1763 to 1767. This survey adopted European dress and lifestyles one part of their respective boundaries.
provided some resolution to border is- they were no longer native. Using the All three also were foragers, but with
sues between four colonies; issues that perspective that dress equals culture, three very differnt foraging strategies
had led a number of conflicts among we may ask what event killed all the (see Becker 2006a). Even the Se-
these colonial governments. By the Quakers? The myth of disease, and of konese (Ciconicin) chiefdom, the north-
1660s native land sales documents disease ridden blankets (see Becker
(Continued on page 8)
generally list precise meets and
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Page 8 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
A LENAPE CHRONOLOGY
1000 CE: Origins of Lenape culture. Transformation from Middle to Late Woodland cultural tradition. This
is marked by the invention of the bow and arrow and developments of region-specific, intensive foraging
patterns.
1500-1550: Earliest contacts with Europeans; sporadic and minimal direct influence. However, this period
established the basis for the continental pelt trade and the development of the great Susquehannock and Five
Nations Iroquois confederacies.
1623: Susquehannock use routes through Lenape territory to vend pelts to Dutch on the Delaware River.
1638: Swedish “colonization” of the Delaware Valley has little direct impact on the Lenape. A number of
Swedish colonists have Lenape wives and bilingual children.
1640-1660: Gardening of maize provides a cash crop to be sold before leaving on winter hunting (Becker
1995? ETC.
Land sales and other economic activities provides the Lenape with access to European cloth and
other desired goods.
1650s: Five Nations aggression weakens the Susquehannock, who provide concessions to allies such as the
Lenape. Some Lenape moving west. Traditional bands summering upstream from ancient fishing stations.
1655-1660: New England farmers can sell maize at cheaper rates than Lenape, accelerating Lenape move-
ment west to participate in the pelt trade. Mill dams interfere with fish runs.
1674-75: Five Nations destroys the Susquehannock confederacy, leaving the Lenape as de facto principals in
the pelt trade. Further migration takes place.
1681: Beginning of William Penn land purchases (1681-1701). Penn protects rights to summer fishing sta-
tions. Continuing flow of individual Lenape into the colonial population.
1733-35: Last of the Lenape fishing bands shift their summer stations to location along the Susquehanna
River or further west. A small number of Lenape remain at the headwaters of the Schuylkil River, in the
Tulpehocken area, and others live among the colonists.
A few Lenopi move from New Jersey into the Forks of Delaware in Pennsylvania, a formerly unin-
habited mutual resource area north of Lenape territory.
1800: The last Lenape remaining in their homeland die in the early 1800s. The last colonists who had seen
Lenape living in traditional ways also are dying. This is the period of Quaker missionaries working among the
Seneca.
1830: The publication of Quaker missionary reports describing Seneca lifeways ca. 1800 leads to confusion
as to how the Lenape had lived. Historians ignorant of the fish-oriented Lenape foraging lifestyle describe
generic Indians as being village dwelling, maize planting horticulturalists, such as the Five Nations Iroquois.
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Page 9 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
S R AC M E M B E R S H I P D R I V E C O N T E S T !
From today until our next annual membership meeting at our Drumbeats Through
Time event on October 10, 2009, we are having a membership drive contest. SRAC
members can win huge prizes for referring new members to SRAC!
There will be three top winners in two categories: Most new members referred
and most membership dollars made.
How can YOU win?
1.) You need to be a member.
2.) In order for a referral to count for you in this contest, the new member must write
in that they were referred by you on their membership form.
3.) Download the form at http://www.sracenter.org/Join/MembershipForm.pdf, put
your name on them as the referrer and give them to your friends to join the contest
today!
4.) We will keep track of the new members and referrers in our database. We'll
announce the leaders at different intervals throughout the contest. The top three
winners for both categories will win prizes and will be announced at the annual
event in October!
Stay tuned for more information!
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Page 10 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
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Page 11 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
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Page 12 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
RECENT EVENTS AT S R AC
The start of 2009 has been wonderful for SRAC and its membership! We continue to provide the community with many
fun learning opportunities, and the crowds at our events keep growing. The pictures on these two pages are just some
of the special moments we’ve captured.
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Page 13 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
RECENT EVENTS AT S R AC
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Page 14 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
Contact Us!
Our Headquarters
Mail:
SRAC
PO Box 12
Sayre, PA 18840
Phone:
607-
607-727-
727-3111
Email: SRAC was honored to be the lead story in the New York State Archaeology (NYSAA)
info@SRACenter.org Winter 2009 Newsletter. The article can be read online by visiting the NYSAA website at
nysaaweb.bfn.org/publications.shtml.
Our Center The NYSAA is a non-profit organization composed of people interested in various phases
Location: of archaeology in New York State. Founded in 1916 and chartered in 1927 by the Board of
Regents of the State of New York, NYSAA is a nonprofit organization composed of 15
345 Broad St. chapters and a world-wide membership-at-large. All who are devoted to historic and pre-
Waverly, NY historic archaeology are invited to join.
Several of our members are members of the Tri-Cities Chapter of the NYSAA as well.
Phone:
NYSAA functions are:
607-
607-565-
565-7960
» to vigorously promote research into the lifestyles of the early inhabitants of New York
Website: State with an emphasis toward cultural preservation, » to participate in excavations when
necessary to preserve threatened historic and pre-historic habitats, » to interpret
SRACenter.org excavated cultures in a shared environment by lecture or publication in one of many
scholarly journals, » and to promote that environment by hosting an annual conference in
Online Giftshop: one of the 15 communities within which NYSAA chapters are located and by publishing
SRACenter.org/store "The Bulletin" which is the annual journal of NYSAA.
Online Membership: S R AC S P O N S O R S H I P B OA R D
SRACenter.org/join Be on the lookout for a new addition to the exterior of
the SRAC building at 345 Broad Street in Waverly,
SRAC Blog: NY. SRAC has decided to offer a sponsorship board
to organization sponsors in our banner program that
SRACenter.blogspot.com will honor them by placing their organization banner
on our sponsor board for different lengths of time
Online Donations: based on their level of sponsorship.
SRACenter.org/donations The SRAC Sponsorship board area will be on the
upper space of the Center at 345 Broad Street,
Mobile Website: Waverly, NY that faces eastward.Please contact
SRACenter.org/mobile SRAC executive director, Deb Twigg at (607)727-
3111 for more information.
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Page 15 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
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Page 16 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
PLEASE CONSIDER SPONSORING THE SRAC JOURNAL WITH YOUR CONTRIBUTUION AT ONE OF
THE LEVELS LISTED BELOW.
Many of you are familiar with our quarterly journal, and the quality and volume of educational information we try to bring to the commu-
nity throughout the year. In fact our range of readership includes high school students to retired persons as well as professional scien-
tists and local universities. The journal has grown into a well read and respected publication; and we hope that it will continue to grow
and be a resource of educational and entertaining material for years to come. Obviously, with this continued growth not only in content
and pages but distribution, there are added costs associated. For this reason, we have decided to offer sponsorship by local individu-
als, families, and businesses who want to help us in our efforts. We currently publish and distribute 1,000 copies each quarter ~ that's
currently 4,000 copies each year, with our coverage mainly in Bradford County PA and Tioga and Chemung Counties in NY, but we
have readership that reaches far beyond these boundaries as well.
THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF SPONSORSHIP LEVELS WITH FORMATS AND APPROXIMATE SIZES.
• Platinum $500.00 Our top level of sponsorship! With your donation of $500 you will be facilitating 1,000
copies of one quarterly journal. Your donation will be recognized with a full half-page gray-scale or black and
white ad that can measure up to 7 1/2” wide by 5” tall. (Sorry, but we can accept only one Platinum sponsor
per issue; however, you can reserve for future issues.) Please email artwork and text you wish included to
sfogel@hughes.net.
LINE 3
• Silver The Hollowell Family
$50.00 Jan, Christy
Ryan, Allison, and Tommy LINE 4
(Limit lines to 35 characters. Gold level can include logo if space
allows. Please email logos to sfogel@hughes.net.)
• Sup-
The Johnson Family
porter
In loving memory of our dad John
$25.00
Send check along with this form to: SRAC
For additional information call Deb PO Box 12
Twigg at 607-727-3111 or email Sayre, PA 18840
• Friend Info@SRACenter.org
$10.00 The Lucky Penny Club
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Page 17 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
Visit Us at SRAC
Gift Shop and Exhibit Hall Open:
Tuesday through Friday 1:00 - 5:00pm
Saturday 11:00 - 4:00pm
Call 607-565-7960 during business
hours for more info.
345 Broad Street, Waverly NY
T H E S R AC B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S
• Deb Twigg • Tom Vallilee
• Dick Cowles • Janet Andrus
• Ted Keir • Mary Ann Taylor
• Susan Fogel • Mark Madill
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Page 18 THE SRAC JOURNAL Volume 5, Issue 1
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