Delaware Days 2013 Coming Up!

Delaware Days will be held on September 27 and 28, 2013, at the Fred Falleaf Powwow Grounds near Copan. So mark your calendars. Volunteers will be needed. This will be a great time to get involved with some tribal activities and just get out and have a great time.

Help is always appreciated. In 2012 Bruce Martin was appointed head of the Delaware Days Committee; he can be reached at 918-337-6571 or by email at bmartin@delawaretribe.org.

Tentative Schedule

Please note: Events are subject to change.

A pot luck dinner will be held Friday night at 6:00, bring a covered dish.

Lenapeowsi will be organizing youth activities Saturday afternoon September 28th, around 1:00:

• Archery
• Storytelling
• Shell Shaking Classes for young girls
• Language Games
• Other activities

Saturday night another pot luck dinner will be held. The Tribe’s Culture Preservation Committee will provide smoked brisket and pork.

Saturday before the Pot Luck the Culture Preservation Committee will honor Tribal Elder and Veteran of the Year.

Social dancing and stomp dancing will follow after the meals each evening. Everyone is invited to attend and participate.

The History of Delaware Days (by Jim Rementer, secretary of the Culture Preservation Committee)

Delaware Days actually began as Delaware Day, an annual event sponsored by the Culture Preservation Committee. The first one was held in 1993 on September 5 at the Fall-Leaf Dance Ground where the annual powwow is held. About 300 people attended that year. The Culture Preservation Committee formed a subcommittee to be in charge of Delaware Day (in 1993 the committee was headed by Mary Watters and Rosetta Coffey, with Annette Ketchum in charge of publicity).

It became an annual event after that and for the first two years it was held early in September, but that often conflicted with Labor Day. In 1995 Delaware Day was moved to September 30. The following year, 1996, had probably the largest attendance ever for Delaware Days. This was the first year that it became a two-day event and many people attended.

In 1996 the Culture Preservation Committee began to honor a tribal elder at Delaware Days, with the first honoree being Lucy Blalock. In 2000 the Committee also began to honor a veteran.

Since 1996 Delaware Days has been a two-day event, and the dates for the event have almost always been the last Friday and Saturday in September. Under the leadership of several dedicated volunteers, it has become better and better, and is now one of the Tribe’s most significant cultural events.

A younger Mike Pace thanks Fred Fall-Leaf for use of the Dance Grounds, around 1998.	Duck Dance 1998.
Sara Boyd is honored as Veteran of the Year, 2012.	Dee and Annette Ketchum are honored as Elders of the Year, 2012.