Archived News Item

By Emily Droege
Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Monday, August 22, 2011
(All rights reserved, copyright Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise)

Peter Prusinowski has walked his way into history.

For more than three months, Prusinowski endured wind, rain and triple-digit temperatures to make a 2,000-mile journey on foot in order to connect with the Lenape Indians, also known as Delaware Indians, and their migration from the Delaware Valley in the northeast to their final stopping point in the Midwest. His solo trek began at his hometown of Fishtown, Penn., and ended recently in Bartlesville.

With a deep interest in the Lenape Indian heritage and history, Prusinowski explained that his rigorous journey was a way to connect with the past, as well as an effort to “inspire a more hopeful future.”

“This is something that came to me about three years ago,” said Prusinowski, adding that part of his inspiration stemmed from the Treaty of Amity and Friendship between William Penn and the Lenape Indians in 1682.

He said he believes that the events from the past 400 years are connected to the “occurrences of today and the social issues we encounter.”

Prusinowski’s “Trail of Hope” journey — which began on March 23 — took him through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri and Kansas to Oklahoma. During the last leg of his trek, he spent the night at the Delaware Indian powwow grounds, located around 17 miles northeast of Bartlesville.

He finished out the adventure by walking to the Delaware Tribal Offices in Bartlesville, accompanied by one of his supporters, as well as Assistant Delaware Chief Chet Brooks. There, he was warmly greeted with a ceremony by area residents.

“Everyone in Bartlesville has been very welcoming an friendly,” said Prusinowski. “I’m grateful that I completed the journey and that I had the opportunity to share my experiences with others.”

He added that he felt honored to be among his “Delaware Indian friends and share the Trail of Hope with them.”

A skilled photographer by trade, Prusinowski snapped numerous photographs of his monumental expedition and plans to organize them into a journal format in hopes of inspiring others. He traveled light, carrying only a 25-pound backpack filled with such essentials as water, two pair of socks, a couple spare pair of pants and an iPad to use when blogging.

“I walked mostly on back roads and county roads, but some of the time was spent walking along the highways, he said, adding that he’d walk up to 20-25 miles a day. “I would usually spend the night in a motel and start walking by 7 a.m. the next morning. Sometimes I would stay with people and friends I knew along the way.”

Among some of the toughest of Prusinowski’s challenges was confronting summertime temperatures. Although he dedicated two years of preparing for his journey by power walking, jogging and swimming, he said walking in the hot and humid weather was nearly impossible to prepare for.

“That was really difficult, especially when it got into the 90s and 100-degree temperatures,” he said. “I had to make more frequent stops along the way due to the heat so some days were very long. I would start early and end late.”

While walking through Missouri, Prusinowski went off the trail route in order to help tornado victims in Joplin.

“I really enjoyed helping out in Joplin. It was very rewarding and a great experience to spread hope,” he said.

Prusinowski, who holds a deep interest in history, moved to the U.S. from Poland in 1976 with a friend. He explained that the pair was looking for adventure and an opportunity to explore what life in America was like.

“I’m extremely happy with my journey,” he said. “I experienced a lot and was able to see things that I otherwis wouldn’t have been able to see. I never felt alone. I always knew someone was with me and keeping me safe.”

Prusinowski set up a blog documenting his nearly five-month trek at http://trailofhopeblog.com.

Assistant Chief Chet Brooks joined Peter Prusinowski, right, for part of his 2,000-mile Trail of Hope journey. Photo, Jim Rementer.

The new Bartlesville Fine Arts Academy, offering a variety of educational classes in Art, Music and Drama for kids ages 6 and up, is looking for instructors to teach Indian Heritage Arts classes at their new location on 4017 Price Road, Suite #6. Interested instructors should contact Mary Ann Hetrick at 918-397-2787 or BfaAcademy@msn.com.

Bartlesville Fine Arts Academy
4017 Price Road #6
Bartlesville, OK 74006
918-397-2787
BfaAcademy@msn.com
www.bfaaok.com

Delaware Indian Language of 1824
by C. C. Trowbridge
Edited by James A. Rementer

In 1823, a man named Charles C. Trowbridge went to Indiana Territory on an assignment from Governor Lewis Cass of the Michigan Territory. His mission was to obtain the answers to a list of questions pertaining to the Lenape or Delaware language. After only two and a half months, Trowbridge collected over 280 pages of handwritten information, making the first full-fledged treatment of Southern Unami, th dialect spoken by the two Delaware groups in Oklahoma today.

After almost two centuries, Lenape Language Project director Jim Rementer has now edited and published Trowbridge’s extremely thorough study in full. With well over a hundred pages devoted to verb forms alone, and extended word-by-word analyses of texts and common phrases, Trowbridge’s work serves not only as a detailed grammar but also as an invaluable cultural record from a time when the Lenape community was on its journey from the Mid-Atlantic toward the west. This is the dialect of Lenape that was spoken in the southern half of New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Rementer’s extensive introductory material puts in context the historical forces that went into producing this text, with a biography of Captain Pipe, one of Trowbridge’s main Indian informants. Contributions by linguist Bruce Pearson and historian Timothy Crumrin round out the picture with biographies of Trowbridge himself and of William Conner.

Published June 2011. Hardcover, 314 pp. List price is $80.00. These will be available through the tribal office at a special price to tribal members of $65.00 plus $6.00 shipping.

This Is The Light I Breathe: Poems and Stories of Inspiration and Hope

Dianne Ingle
dianneingle@q.com

Available on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com, and Westbow Press.com.

A book of inspirational poems and stories. The author is a Delaware Indian and a Registered Nurse, and the daughter of Katherine Perkins Worsham, descendant of Chief Charles Journeycake.

Don Mason, Jr., a tribal member and attorney, will be starting a divorce clinic. Those who have a Delaware roll number and reside in Tulsa, Washington, Nowata or Rogers County may apply.

The clinic is open to those Delaware seeking an UNCONTESTED divorce with NO issues (custody, support, debt division, asset division) left to be litigated. Feel free to contact Mr. Mason at 918-344-7828. Each application will be evaluated for acceptance on a case-by-case basis.

Attention Class of 2012!!

The Gates Millennium Scholar Program will select 1,000 talented students each year to receive a good-through-graduation scholarship to use at any college or university of their choice. Gates Millennium Scholars are provided with personal and professional development through our leadership programs along with academic support throughout their college career.

Gates Millennium Scholar Program Eligibility

The 2011-12 GMS Application period is now closed. Please review the following information for eligibility criteria and visit www.gmsp.org in September 2011 for the 2012-13 application.

Students are eligible to be considered for a GMS Scholarship if they:

• Are African American, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander American, or Hispanic American.
• Are a citizen, national or legal permanent resident of the United States.
• Have attained a cumulative high school GPA of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (unweighted) or have earned a GED.
• Will be enrolling for the first time at a U.S. accredited college or university as a full time, degree-seeking, first year student in fall 2012.
• Have demonstrated leadership abilities through participation in community service, extracurricular or other activities.
• Meet the federal Pell Grant eligibility criteria.
• Have completed and submitted all three required forms (Nominee Personal Information Form, Nominator Form, and Recommender Form) by the deadline.

If you are Native American, you will be asked to provide proof of tribal enrollment or certificate of descent from a state or federally recognized tribe if selected as a GMS Candidate.

To be eligible for the GMS Scholarship, the student must matriculate at a college or university that is accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. The following are accreditation resources: Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education Programs Candidates; American Council of Education published in consultation with the Council for Higher Education Accreditation; Higher Education Directory published by Higher Education Publications, Inc.

Attention! Native Graduate Students!

The American Indian Graduate Center, Inc. announces the availability of fellowships and loans for service to American Indian and Alaska Native undergraduate and graduate students.

To find out more information and eligibility requirements about various programs, please visit www.aigc.com to view programs listed under scholarships and fellowships.

Some of the fellowships include:

• Elizabeth Furbur Fellowship: Graduate fellowship for women studying the creative fine arts, visual works, crafts, music, performing, dance, literacy, creative writing and poetry.
• Dr. George Blue Spruce Fellowship: Dr. Blue Spruce created the fellowship as a step toward increasing the very low number of American Indian dentists.
• Gerald Peet Fellowship: Priority to medical students or health-related fields.
• Grace Wall Barreda Memorial Fellowship: Graduate fellowship for students seeking advanced degrees in environmental studies or public health.
• Jeanette Elmer Scholarship/Graduate Fellowship: AIGC was granted authority to accept administration of the trust fund monies of the Jeanette Elmer estate. This fund is designated to provide scholarships to students who have completed their bachelor’s degree and are enrolled in a graduate or professional degree program at an accredited institution and who are members of Wisconsin, New Mexico or Arizona tribes.
• Katrin Lamon Fund: For Native American graduate students majoring in literature, journalism and communications or a related field.
• Ruth Muskrat Bronson Scholarship Fund: Priority to nursing, or health-related fields if the nursing pool is non-existent. One or two graduate students per year.

In addition, there are links to other scholarships on the site.

• 
• Annette Ketchum, left, and Mary Watters participate in an OK Mozart Festival showcase event, “American Indian Storytelling” on June 14, 2011 at the Bartlesville Community Center. Oklahoma Community Center. Oklahoma Indian Summer and Bartlesville Indian Women’s Club storytellers shared stories passed down through generations. Photo courtesy of Becky Burch, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise.

These videos are provided to give a taste of the presentations at the first NAGPRA Summit in May 2011. This summit, part of NAGPRA-sponsored project aimed at further repatriation efforts, was held at the Delaware Community Center in Bartlesville, OK, and was attended by over 50 tribal members and guests.

Video Excerpt: Eric Hollinger

This is a 2-minute excerpt of the presentation given by Eric Hollinger at the first NAGPRA Summit on May 27, 2011, in Bartlesville, OK. The full video is available at the tribe’s Historic Preservation Office in Emporia, KS.

Overview of Delaware Repatriations from the Delaware Water Gap Region

Copyright 2011, Eric Hollinger. All rights reserved.

Eric Hollinger is a Repatriation Case Officer in the Repatriation Office of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, who facilitated the recent repatriation of Delaware burials for reburial at the Delaware Water Gap in 2009. He formerly worked in the Repatriation Department of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Harvard University, one of the three museums that the Tribe is currently consulting for the repatriation of Delaware burials from several locations in New Jersey.

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Video Excerpt: James Jackson

This is a 2-minute excerpt of the presentation given by James Jackson at the first NAGPRA Summit on May 27, 2011, in Bartlesville, OK. The full video is available at the tribe’s Historic Preservation Office in Emporia, KS.

Delaware Burial Customs

Copyright 2011, James Jackson. All rights reserved.

James Jackson is a Delaware tribal elder. He has participated in numerous Delaware funerals, and served as one of the tribal representatives for the reburial at the Delaware Water Gap in 2009.

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Video Excerpt: Dustin Cushman

This is a 2-minute excerpt of the presentation given by Dustin Cushman at the first NAGPRA Summit on May 27, 2011, in Bartlesville, OK. The full video is available at the tribe’s Historic Preservation Office in Emporia, KS.

Tokens Of Love: The Use Of Burial Ritual In Reinforcing Delaware Identity and Community

Copyright 2011, Dustin Cushman. All rights reserved.

Dustin Cushman is completing his doctorate at Temple University, where he specializes in Delaware archaeology. His dissertation will focus on Delaware mortuary customs in the Late Woodland and Historic periods.

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Video Excerpt: Titus Frenchman

This is a 2-minute excerpt of the presentation given by Titus Frenchman at the first NAGPRA Summit on May 27, 2011, in Bartlesville, OK. The full video is available at the tribe’s Historic Preservation Office in Emporia, KS.

Delaware Burial Customs

Copyright 2011, Titus Frenchman. All rights reserved.

Titus Frenchman is President of the Council of Lenape Elders. He has his B.S. degree from the University of California at Davis, Davis, California in Applied Behavioral Science, with emphasis in Native American Studies. He is a full-blood Delaware, from the Frenchman and Beaver families. He served as one of the tribal representatives for the reburial at the Delaware Water Gap in 2009. His presentation was focused on his experiences conducting and attending Delaware funerals over the course of his lifetime.

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Video Excerpt: Jay Custer

This is a 2-minute excerpt of the presentation given by Jay Custer at the first NAGPRA Summit on May 27, 2011, in Bartlesville, OK. The full video is available at the tribe’s Historic Preservation Office in Emporia, KS.

Rethinking Pit Features and Grave Offerings from the Delmarva Peninsula

Copyright 2011, Jay Custer. All rights reserved.

Jay Custer was born and raised in southeastern Pennsylvania. He has taught in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Delaware since 1979 and has been Director of the Center for Archaeological Research since its founding in 1983. His research interests have focused on the archaeological and anthropological study of the past and present indigenous people of the Middle Atlantic region with a focus on southeastern Pennsylvania and the Delmarva Peninsula.

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Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville has established the Ketchum Institute of American Indian Studies, which will be directed by Chief Dee Ketchum. The purpose of the Institute is to further the development of American Indian Studies at the University.

The newly-established curriculum at Oklahoma Wesleyan will begin in the fall of 2011 with Ketchum teaching a course entitled Introduction to American Indian Culture. This three-hour course will feature the Delaware, Cherokee and Osage Tribes. Additional courses will be taught by OKWU instructors.

Dee Ketchum, former chief of the Delaware Tribe, is excited about the potential educational impact that the Institute will have on Indian and non-Indian students seeking a degree in American Indian Studies. The Institute will raise interest in the diversity of Indian tribes and will provide exposure, information and accuracy in the field.

Anyone interested in making contributions to the OKWU Ketchum Institute may acquire further information at www.OKWU.edu or by calling 918-335-6225.

Plans are underway for setting in place an American Indian Museum at LaQuinta Mansion on the OKWU campus. The collections to be displayed will be on loan from individuals and other museums. Anyone interested in participating by placing artifacts in the museum may contact Oklahoma Wesleyan University (www.OKWU.edu).