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The Tribe on March 27 recognized the first recipients of the Warrior Medal of Freedom, the Tribe’s highest honor. The honor was presented to those who served in the military for their taking the oath to protect our Tribe and Nation against all enemies, and the civilian award is for the Warrior who fought to keep our sovereignty and culture alive and continues to fight for our rights. Below, Elder & Navy Veteran Steven Donnell presents the award to Chief Brad KillsCrow (US Navy), Sarah Boyd (US Army Combat Veteran-Iraq), and Annette Ketchum for her lifetime work keeping tribal sovereignty and cultural preservation alive. Other Awardees not photographed were Jim Baker (US Army) and Marcus Falleaf (US Marine Corps).

Notice: The Delaware Indian calendar for 2024 is now available on the tribal website https://delawaretribe.org/ or at this address:
https://delawaretribe.org/blog/2023/12/01/download-a-2024-lenape-calendar/
You can download your copy and print all the pages at once or print one month at a time as needed. For a wall calendar we suggest using 8.5 x 14 inch (legal size) paper.

Revived: The Lenape Word-a-Day calendar is a monthly calendar of Lenape names for different things. The downloadable calendar is also posted on the Tribal website https://delawaretribe.org/ and it will continue to be posted at the beginning of each month. There are sound files for each of these words which are in the Lenape Talking Dictionary: https://www.talk-lenape.org/.

What’s New – Going to the Moon

In the TV news recently they said that in the year 2024 America will once again send people to or around the moon. It might be of interest to readers of the Delaware Indian News to know that according to tribal legend there were two Lenape men who went to the moon many centuries ago. In the Lenape language the Sun and Moon have the same name, Kishux, and they are considered as Elder Brothers. There are also some special names for the Moon if you need to let people know you are talking about him exclusively. The two men had a purpose for going there and what follows is the basic story telling the reason. There are several variants of this story that had them going to the sun, or first to the sun who sent them to the moon. 

Tùkwsi Kishux òk Kitahikàn

Full Moon and Ocean

Here is a brief version of the story:

There was a monster that lived in a lake and he was killing Lenape children. Two young men said that they knew a way to kill the monster and they would have to go to the sun to get some of his ashes to put in the lake. (A version of this story can be heard in the Lenape Taking Dictionary at this address: https://www.talk-lenape.org/stories?id=41.

The two men found some sunbeams and they climbed on them to get to the sun. In one version of the story they got ashes from him and in another version the sun told them to go to the moon because his ashes would cause the Earth to burn up.

So they went to the moon and got some ashes and returned to Earth and threw them in the Lake and the water began to boil and the monster was killed. But before he died he told them, “You have killed me for nothing because there are many of my children in other large bodies of water.”

(In the tale told by Willie Longbone in 1939 a young woman gave birth to a male child that was half fish and she threw it into a lake. It grew large and began to kill children so two young men went to the sun for fire but the sun refused them saying the heat would burn the whole Earth. He told them to go to the ‘night sun’ (the moon) who gave them some ashes. They threw the ashes into the lake where the monster lived and the lake boiled and the monster was killed.)

Lenape names for the Sun and Moon and their phases:

The Sun

Kishux: Sun; Moon; Month
wipèkw / wipëko: Sunbeam / Sunbeams
Wsike: Sunset; The Sun is setting
Winkpèkw: The Sun is drawing water (What the sunbeams do)
Kwtai Kishux: Eclipse (Sun or Moon)

The Moon

Kishux: Sun; Moon; month
Piskewëni kishux: Moon
Nipahàm: Moon (an older word)
Nipaii kishux: Moon (an older word)
Mësëtchèsu kishux: Full Moon
Tùkwsi kishux: Full Moon
Wëski kishux: New Moon
Òxehëmu: Moonlight

Jacob Parks, Delaware Artist, about 1930

From the January 2024 issue of the Delaware Indian News. For more from this issue, as well as a full archive of past issues, click here.

The 59th Annual Delaware Pow Wow will be held at Fall Leaf Family Memorial Pow Wow Grounds May 24-26, 2024. Please see the flyer below for details.

The Veterans Committee is calling all veterans to come and register for the new Lenape Warriors Medal of Freedom. The Medal will be presented at the monthly Tribal Council meetings. Those that want to receive the honor before the Tribal Council can attend the appointed Tribal Council meeting to receive it. Those that cannot or that want to wait for the Pow Wow or General Council meeting, please indicate your choice on the application. Please download the application and complete the application below and send it to the Veterans Service Center at the address below, or email it to Steve Donnell at 1lenapeila@gmail.com.

Delaware Tribe of Indians
Attn: Veterans Service Center
5100 Tuxedo Blvd
Bartlesville, Ok 74006

>>>Application

The Lenape Veterans Committee has opened a new Veterans Service Center in the Lenape Wellness Center. The center will be run by tribal member Steven Donnell (Navy Veteran and American Legion Service Officer). We will perform VA claim filing through the American Legion. We will provide services for all veterans, tribal and non-tribal alike. We will have emergency services for veterans and families of veterans in distress. The center is connected to several programs and groups within the state of Oklahoma, ranging from financial and housing to women’s and men’s counseling and sobriety, along with intimate partner violence services.

Organizations we are connected with include: OKDVA-Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, Tulsa Vets Center for counseling, OK developmental disabilities council, OK DHS, Delaware prevention support services (sobriety service).

The center will be open on Tuesdays from 10-5. The center is located at the Tribal Complex at 170 Barbara St. Bartlesville, OK in the Tribal Wellness Center.

To contact us:

Email: 1lenapeila@gmail.com

Phone: (918) 337-6590 ext. Steve.

Emergency phone: (760) 401-2056 cell

Please come by and check out the center and visit. Wanishi!

Steve Donnell, head of the Veterans Service Center

kìkayàk (elders) 
òkànkwèphatuwàk (group in a circle)
Wëli Newiyal! (Happy New Year!) 
 
Welcome to The Elders Circle, a new forum of the Elders Committee for sharing information with our fellow tribal members.
 
If you are a senior citizen (55+) and a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, we invite you to join our monthly meetings at Tribal Headquarters or on Zoom. 
 

Elders Committee

Meetings
The Elders Committee meets monthly on the first Tuesday at 1:00 P.M. in the Family & Children’s Services building, located at Tribal Headquarters, 5100 Tuxedo Blvd, Bartlesville, OK. 

If you can’t make it in person, please join us on Zoom! To attend the meeting by Zoom, email your request to delawareeldercouncil2023@gmail.com and you will receive instructions on how to connect.
 

Elder Committee Activities 

Donations
We appreciate donations to the Elders Committee. Donations benefit our elder community by providing opportunities to participate in activities as well as providing programs that help our elders. In January, be on the lookout to purchase raffle tickets to win a beautiful comforter set donated by Delaware Elder Beverly Chafin. In addition, Sondra Boone donated $500 for the elder community and Billie Jean Sheshey, another Delaware Elder, donated 48 sets of hat and gloves to distribute to Delaware Elders at the Christmas party.

Wanìshi ta (thank you very much) to everyone who donated! 

Raffle
In January, don’t forget to buy raffle tickets to win this beautiful king size comforter set (pictured below)! Tickets can be purchased by contacting Elder Committee members or by emailing the Elder Committee at delawareeldercouncil2023@gmail.com

Trips
In December we explored the Woolaroc Museum & Wildlife Preserves’ Wonderland of Lights followed by a trip to Braums. 

Interested in joining us on the next trip? Then join the Elders Committee! If you’re 55+ and a member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians, you’re eligible to attend our Elders Committee. 
 
Contact Us
Senior (55+) Delaware tribal members can contact our committee by email at delawareeldercouncil2023@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook at dtieldercommittee. 
 
We look forward to growing our elder community! Join us at our 2024 monthly meetings on Tuesdays: January 2, February 6, March 5, and April 9 at 1:00 P.M.
 
Elders Committee Officers:
Chair Beverly Hicks
Vice Chair Kay Anderson
Secretary Connie Falleaf
Treasurer Susan Cade

By Celeste Amadon

The Delaware Tribe is delighted to announce the hiring of Tristen Tucker as the Tribe’s new Environmental Program Director. Tucker’s dynamic blend of professional expertise, cultural commitment, and community-focused approach makes him an ideal leader to steer our community towards a greener and more sustainable future. Tristen brings a fresh perspective and a committed approach to our Tribe’s environmental initiatives, which he sees translating directly to the health of the Delaware people. His leadership signals a promising future for the Delaware Tribe in environmental stewardship and food sovereignty. His first goal is to make our tribal headquarters a model of environmental friendliness. He has planned initiatives such as establishing pollinator gardens and planting trees around the campus. These are not just aesthetic enhancements but are in fact crucial steps towards our community’s ecological balance and health. These efforts symbolize a deep commitment to creating a sustainable and healthy environment for our community. Native people have always had a connection to the land and to the stewardship of resources and the Tribe’s environmental program aims to reinforce this cultural priority.

A graduate of Rogers State University with a degree in Environmental Conservation, Tristen has been deeply immersed in the cultural activities of the Tribe. He plays an active role on the Cultural Preservation Committee, and is involved with the Lenape language revitalization effort, including teaching traditional songs and dances. His service on the Pow Wow Committee and his involvement in significant tribal events, such as last year’s poignant repatriation and reburial of Ancestors’ remains, underscores his dedication to our heritage.

Tristen extends an invitation to all Tribal members to engage with him on this crucial mission. He emphasizes that sustainability is a team sport and encourages everyone to reach out with ideas, inquiries, or any input that can contribute to the Tribe’s environmental goals. So please consider stopping by our new Environmental Program Director’s office so he can get to know you, or email him at ttucker@delawaretribe.org.

From the January 2024 issue of the Delaware Indian News. For more from this issue, as well as a full archive of past issues, click here.

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Celeste Amadon

The Delaware Indian News warmly invites our readership community to join in our new self-guided movie and book club. Club recommendations are for recently released or published movies, television series, and books that resonate with Indigenous experiences. Club selection postings include a list of discussion topics and/or links to articles about the work to facilitate your thinking and engaging discussions about our stories, their portrayal, and the power of narrative in shaping understanding and awareness.

2024 Selection #1
Our first club selection is Killers of the Flower Moon. The film, nominated for several Golden Globe awards and a strong contender for Academy Awards, is an adaptation of the best selling non-fiction book Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, which is also strongly recommended. It tells the tragic story of the 1920s murders of Osage Nation members in Oklahoma.

Streaming Availability
Killers of the Flower Moon is available on Apple TV+ and other streaming platforms, making it accessible for our community members to view before the discussion. The novel is available on Amazon.com and the Audible audiobook version makes excellent driving entertainment.

Key Discussion Questions:

• How does the film balance the portrayal of Native American history with the demands of a mainstream movie narrative? It reportedly does an excellent job of representing Osage culture, but it allso exploits Native tragedy for art/profit (DiCaprio was paid $40M).
• In what ways did the extensive involvement of Osage Nation consultants impact the film’s authenticity?
• The film’s focus on Ernest Burkhart (DiCaprio) has been a point of contention. How does this choice affect the representation of the Osage community’s experiences?
• Despite the casting of many (around 65!) Native actors, the film is primarily a creation of non-Indigenous filmmakers. How does this influence its storytelling and perspective?
• The film has been critiqued for lacking broader historical context about Indigenous genocide, oppression, and land theft. Context the nonfiction novel on which it is based did a much better job of provided.How does this impact its message?
• What are the implications of the film’s portrayal of Native American history for contemporary Indigenous representation in cinema?

Interesting Articles
NPR: How Osage people stepped in to be sure ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ got things right
Slate: Killers of the Flower Moon Is Not the Story an Osage Would Have Told. You Should Still See It.
The New York Times: In Indigenous Communities, a Divided Reaction to ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’
The Wall Street Journal: Killers of the Flower Moon’ Puts New Indigenous Stars on the Map

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is offering several 8-week paid internships for summer 2024. The programs on offer include Air Quality, Indigenous Climate Change, and Water Resources and Land Management. Requirements are as follows:

• U.S. Citizen
• Identify as an Indigenous person (preferred)
• Full-time college student during Spring 2024
• 2.5 cumulative GPA
• Majoring in an environmental or related field
• Strong interest in working with Tribal and Indigenous communities
• Other requirements listed on each program

There are more details in the flyer shown below, and you can also send email to kim.shaw@nau.edu for more information or visit http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Internships to apply.

November 10, 2023

As you may be aware, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol at the direction of Governor Stitt has started issuing tickets to motorists with tribal tags who do not live within the boundaries of their Tribe’s jurisdiction. This should not affect Delaware Tribal members with Delaware Tribal tags issued through Cherokee Nation. The Cherokee Nation has a compact with the State of Oklahoma therefore it is our understanding that this new directive from the State does not apply to any tags, including Delaware tags, issued by Cherokee Nation. If you are pulled over by OHP and issued a citation for having tribal tags, please contact my office immediately.

Brad KillsCrow, Chief