Reconnecting Delaware/Lenape and Mohican-Munsee peoples to each other and their homelands
The Delaware/Lenape and Mohican-Munsee peoples are spread out across five separate Nations — three in the United States and two in Canada — due to a history of dispossession and forced removal by colonizers. None are located on Lenape homelands, which include Lenapehoking, now known as the lower Hudson River valley.
This project continues a collaboration by the NYS Water Resources Institute (WRI) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with the Lenni Lenapexkweyok including members of the Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, Munsee-Delaware Nation, and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. Over several summers, the team has assisted with annual trips for groups of Delaware/Lenape and Mohican-Munsee to return to the homelands and reconnect over sharing of traditional foods, crafts, medicines, ceremonies and exploration of the Hudson River’s ecology.
Undergraduate students assist in putting together a week-long retreat for two members of each of the five nations. With assistance from our team and other community organizations, the leaders will plan an expansion of the previous trips into a structured annual trip opening the door for more community participants. As paid WRI interns, the students will also practice their research and science communication skills by preparing presentations on the history of environmental work on the Hudson and current conservation efforts.
Reconnecting Delaware/Lenape and Mohican-Munsee peoples to each other and their homelands
The Delaware/Lenape and Mohican-Munsee peoples are spread out across five separate Nations — three in the United States and two in Canada — due to a history of dispossession and forced removal by colonizers. None are located on Lenape homelands, which include Lenapehoking, now known as the lower Hudson River valley.
This project continues a collaboration by the NYS Water Resources Institute (WRI) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences with the Lenni Lenapexkweyok including members of the Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians, Munsee-Delaware Nation, and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. Over several summers, the team has assisted with annual trips for groups of Delaware/Lenape and Mohican-Munsee to return to the homelands and reconnect over sharing of traditional foods, crafts, medicines, ceremonies and exploration of the Hudson River’s ecology.
Undergraduate students assist in putting together a week-long retreat for two members of each of the five nations. With assistance from our team and other community organizations, the leaders will plan an expansion of the previous trips into a structured annual trip opening the door for more community participants. As paid WRI interns, the students will also practice their research and science communication skills by preparing presentations on the history of environmental work on the Hudson and current conservation efforts.
- Chris Bowser: NYS Water Resources Institute, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Gianna Haro: NYS Water Resources Institute, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Ben Maracle: NYS Water Resources Institute, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Rewa Phansalkar: NYS Water Resources Institute, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- Community Partners: Lenni Lenapexkweyok
Providing seed support for a wide range of community-engaged learning projects