Jim Remsen's Blog: The Slave as "Crushed Vegetable'', page 7

Wampum - A Living Object

Mention wampum and a non-Native American person might think of money. It�s sometimes a synonym for cash in our everyday slang. Others may have a vague notion that wampum was used ceremonially at Indian-white treaty councils as part of exchanges of trade goods, tokens and the like.

Wampum is so much more. To the Indians, the strings of cylindrical beads carved from quahog shells are able to bear witness to events, embody collective emotions, and secure diplomatic promises � not merely signify all those purposes but truly embody and bespeak them.

Earlier this year, I attended a talk about wampum by Margaret Bruchac, an Abenaki woman and an anthropologist at the University of Pennsylvania. She underscored wampum�s supernal importance in native tradition, saying the wampum strings become animate objects when words are spoken into it.

In my new historical novel about Indian-settler affairs, Visions of Teaoga, the 18th century native matriarch Esther typifies that understanding. In an early scene, she accepts the Seneca chief Red Jacket�s offer to attend a peace council in this way: �Taking the wampum strings in hand, Esther gave her reply. She held the strands of sacred shell beads aloft in her open palm, letting them spiritually receive her pledge as was the custom. �Brother, I have heard your words and my heart is stirred. Perhaps the Preserver has brought me to this time for this purpose. My Tutelo friends have endured many dark days. If they need my presence, I cannot refuse. If you need my presence to help keep the treaty fire bright, I cannot refuse. My sixty winters have worn down my body and weakened my eyesight. Let us hope it has not dimmed my vision.� �

Later in the book, I draw directly from Red Jacket�s actual words as recorded from that 1790 peace council: �Our forefathers told us that when a treaty was finished, by preserving the belts used we would know and could tell our children what had been done.� White wampum beheld harmony, while purple embodied distress, danger, death � attributes that figure in Esther�s use on her wampum strings in the novel.

Traditionally, wampum beads �were used sparingly to create belts to commemorate great events, to preserve history, to declare peace or war, to record elections, and to heal families from the pain of losing a family member. The messages conveyed in the belts were considered law, and were honoured and respected as such.� That explanation is from a fine blog post that profiles a Cayuga Indian �Faithkeeper� and wampum maker, Ken Maracle. The post includes a video in which Mr. Maracle tells how he feels �guided by his ancestors� in his work.

The Cayuga tribe figures large in Visions of Teaoga, so I was delighted to see the video. You can watch it, and read the wampum essay, here:

http://workingeffectivelywithaborigin...

‘Rising Nation River Journey’

The upper Delaware River grows thick with pleasure craft at this time of year—but they’re about to be joined by an unusual, historic flotilla with a solemn purpose.

On Saturday, Aug. 2, American Indians representing the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania will set off downriver carrying a document they call the Treaty of Renewed Friendship. The delegation will stop along the way for a succession of public ceremonies at which various environmental groups, churches, historical societies and individuals will sign the treaty “to support the Lenape and to partner as caretakers of the traditional Lenape homeland and each other.”

It should be quite a journey—330 miles long, all the way from sylvan Hancock, N.Y., to the sandy flatlands of Cape May, N.J., where it will end on Sunday, Aug. 17.

The treaty-signing ceremonies are scheduled daily at 1 p.m. Each stop will also feature children’s activities and a powwow. We’re all invited to witness any of it, so if you’re in the region and up for a rare opportunity, check out the schedule at http://www.lenapenation.org. You could even join the flotilla or the campouts, but be sure to read about the arrangements.

This will be a spiritually-laden trip for the Lenape travelers since the Delaware River—which they call Lena’pe Sipu,--traverses their historic homeland. About half of the route will pass territory their forebears lost in the 1737 land swindle known as the Walking Purchase. One of the true-life characters in my new historical novel Visions of Teaoga (Sunbury Press) is the famous Delaware leader Teedyuscung, who spent years protesting the infamous Walking Purchase, to no avail.

The Lenape organizers hope their river procession raises public awareness that, even though Pennsylvania doesn’t officially recognize them or any other native group, “the Lenape people living in Pennsylvania are carrying on their traditions, culture and spiritual beliefs.” The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, based in Easton, is a serious group with a long track record of helping people of native heritage emerge with pride from their longtime low profile. In that vein, it’s termed the August event the “2014 Rising Nation River Journey.”

The organization has held a round of friendship-treaty signings every four years since 2002, with this one focusing specifically on supporters along the Delaware River. The signers are being asked to follow up with concrete actions such as holding Lenape-related educational events and exhibits; advocating for better school curricula; helping to protect sacred sites and to revive the Lenape language; and safeguarding the riverine environment.

A special honoree this year is the Delaware Riverkeeper, Maya van Rossum. She’ll take part in the treaty signing Aug. 12 in Lambertville, and the next day will join in the ceremony at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia. Every four years the Lenape Nation lends its wampum to a significant “caretaker,” and van Rossum will receive the wampum from Penn, which has held it since 2010.

The text of the Treaty of Renewed Friendship, and its signers to date, are posted on http://www.lenapenation.org. The website also has a way you can sign the treaty yourself if you’re so moved.

�Rising Nation River Journey�

The upper Delaware River grows thick with pleasure craft at this time of year�but the fun-lovers are about to be joined by an unusual, historic flotilla with a solemn purpose.

On Saturday, Aug. 2, American Indians representing the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania will set off downriver carrying a document they call the Treaty of Renewed Friendship. The delegation will stop along the way for a succession of public ceremonies at which various environmental groups, churches, historical societies and individuals will sign the treaty �to support the Lenape and to partner as caretakers of the traditional Lenape homeland and each other.�

It should be quite a journey�330 miles long, all the way from sylvan Hancock, N.Y., to the sandy flatlands of Cape May, N.J., where it will end on Sunday, Aug. 17.

The treaty-signing ceremonies are scheduled daily at 1 p.m. Each stop will also feature children�s activities and a powwow. We�re all invited to witness any of it, so if you�re in the region and up for a rare opportunity, check out the schedule at http://www.lenapenation.org. You could even join the flotilla or the campouts, but be sure to read about the arrangements.

This will be a spiritually-laden trip for the Lenape travelers since the Delaware River�which they call Lena�pe Sipu--traverses their historic homeland. About half of the route will pass territory their forebears lost in the 1737 land swindle known as the Walking Purchase. One of the true-life characters in my new historical novel Visions of Teaoga (Sunbury Press) is the famous Delaware leader Teedyuscung, who spent years protesting the infamous Walking Purchase, to no avail.

The Lenape organizers hope their river procession raises public awareness that, even though Pennsylvania doesn�t officially recognize them or any other native group, �the Lenape people living in Pennsylvania are carrying on their traditions, culture and spiritual beliefs.� The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, based in Easton, is a serious group with a long track record of helping people of native heritage emerge with pride from their longtime low profile. In that vein, it�s termed the August event the �2014 Rising Nation River Journey.�

The organization has held a round of friendship-treaty signings every four years since 2002, with this one focusing specifically on supporters along the Delaware River. The signers are being asked to follow up with concrete actions such as holding Lenape-related educational events and exhibits; advocating for better school curricula; helping to protect sacred sites and to revive the Lenape language; and safeguarding the riverine environment.

A special honoree this year is the Delaware Riverkeeper, Maya van Rossum. She is to take part in the treaty signing Aug. 12 in Lambertville, and the next day will join in the ceremony at the University of Pennsylvania Museum in Philadelphia. Every four years the Lenape Nation lends its wampum to a significant �caretaker,� and van Rossum will receive the wampum from Penn, which has held it since 2010.

The text of the Treaty of Renewed Friendship, and its signers to date, are posted on http://www.lenapenation.org. The website also has a way you can sign the treaty yourself if you�re so moved.

"The Little Brother of War"

Is lacrosse big in your area? It certainly is in mine. And summertime is the season for LAX camps, where kids suit up and work up a sweat developing their stick-handling skills.
The game they�re playing, as you probably know, is American Indian in origin � the original America�s Game (sorry, football). But

Remembering the Fourth with a Forked Tongue

Ah, the Fourth of July – the grand occasion to display the American flag outside my front door, and to join the crowds at our neighborhood fireworks party. ’The grand day to celebrate what’s been called our nation’s birth certificate: The hallowed Declaration of Independence.

But wait. What’s that ugly sentence embedded midway through it? Tucked into Thomas Jefferson’s angry brief against King George, in a long litany of grievances, appears this charge:

"He has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions."

Yes, our very founding document encodes the American Indians as “Savages” – capital S as if it were their proper name. Did you ever learn that in history class? You, like me, may have been clueless, but be assured that many Indians still know and resent the enshrined libel all too well. Just as, in their parallel history, they know George Washington not as the father of the country but as “Town Destroyer” because of his scorched-earth campaign against the Iroquois. Just as they loathe Andrew Jackson for his brutal removal policies – and refuse to traffic in twenty-dollar bills because they bear his portrait. Just as they remember Jefferson for instigating those removal policies, and for sending Lewis and Clark west to chart the course of expansionism.

I am launching my blog today to point out these troubled truths for two reasons: The nation’s birthday is upon us, and – a big personal and -- I have a new book coming out very soon that delves into Colonial-Indian history. Visions of Teaoga (being published by Sunbury Press) is a historical novel that recounts Washington’s 1779 destruction of the Seneca heartland, but also the earlier land grabs and encroachments across the Eastern woodlands. Told by a real-life Shawnee matriarch – a tragic figure known to history as Queen Esther – it tells how small “remnant bands” such as the Shawnees, Munsee Delawares, Conoys and Tutelos were hemmed in and deceived not only by the Europeans but by the mighty Iroquois Confederacy as well. The resulting Indian raids on settler homesteads – often land squatters – clearly could be vicious. Accounts of scalpings and other atrocities circulated widely, leading to brutal white counterattacks. Settlers never forgot the natives’ violence but overlooked similar crimes committed by their own people (one of Queen Esther’s many complaints). By July 1776, the cycle of attacks and reprisals had produced a race hatred on both sides that curdled into mutual desires for what we, today, would term ethnic cleansing.

That is the context in which Jefferson penned his propagandistic invective. He was correct in a sense. More and more, the “Indian Savages” were tilting toward the British as the lesser of two evils. Where the Colonials had proven land-hungry and duplicitous, the Brits had at least tried to set up a demarcation line that set aside a huge territory as Indian land. When war came, a number of tribes and subgroups made alliances of convenience and fought alongside the Redcoats. Queen Esther and her people were swept up in the warfare, culminating for her in the tragic Bloody Rock incident.

Years earlier, in the 1750s, Esther’s war-chief husband had tried to make nice with the settlers. In reluctantly ceding a slice of territory to New Jersey, he expressed the earlier outlook that land and its bounty could be shared. His eloquent plea, as recorded in Colonial records and repeated in Visions of Teaoga, was this: “We desire that if we should come into your province to see our old friends, and should have occasion for the bark of a tree to cover a cabin, or a little refreshment, that we should not be denied, but be treated as brethren! And that your people may not look on the wild beasts of the forests or the fish of the waters as their sole property, but that we may be admitted to an equal use of them.”

As history also records, this outlook failed. The British abandoned their Indian allies, the demarcation line was extinguished, and a wave of westward expansion began.

Jefferson had prevailed.

Remembering The Fourth with a Forked Tongue

Ah, the Fourth of July � the grand occasion to display the American flag outside my front door, and to join the crowds at our neighborhood fireworks party. The grand day to celebrate what�s been called our nation�s birth certificate: The hallowed Declaration of Independence.
But wait. What�s that ugly sentence embedded midway through it? Tucked into Thomas Jefferson�s angry brief against King George, in a long litany of grievances, appears this charge:
"He has excited domestic Insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the Inhabitants of our Frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known Rule of Warfare, is an undistinguished Destruction of all Ages, Sexes and Conditions."
Yes, our very founding document encodes the American Indians as �Savages� � capital S as if it were their proper name. Did you ever learn that in history class? You, like me, may have been clueless, but be assured that many Indians still know and resent the enshrined libel all too well. Just as, in their parallel history, they know George Washington not as the father of the country but as �Town Destroyer� because of his scorched-earth campaign against the Iroquois. Just as they loathe Andrew Jackson for his brutal removal policies � and refuse to traffic in twenty-dollar bills because they bear his portrait. Just as they remember Jefferson for instigating those removal policies, and for sending Lewis and Clark west to chart the course of expansionism.
I am launching my blog to point out these troubled truths for two reasons: The nation�s birthday is upon us, and � a big personal and -- I have a new book coming out very soon that delves into Colonial-Indian history. Visions of Teaoga (being published by Sunbury Press) is a historical novel that recounts Washington�s 1779 destruction of the Seneca heartland, but also the earlier land grabs and encroachments across the Eastern woodlands. Told by a real-life Shawnee matriarch � a tragic figure known to history as Queen Esther � it tells how smaller �remnant bands� such as the Shawnees, Munsee Delawares, Conoys and Tutelos were hemmed in and deceived not only by the Europeans but by the mighty Iroquois Confederacy as well. The resulting Indian raids on settler homesteads � often land squatters � clearly could be vicious. Accounts of scalpings and other atrocities circulated widely, leading to brutal counterattacks. Settlers never forgot the natives� violence but overlooked similar crimes committed by whites (one of Queen Esther�s many complaints). By July 1776, this cycle of attacks and reprisals had produced a race hatred on both sides that curdled into mutual desires for what we, today, would term ethnic cleansing.
That is the context in which Jefferson penned his propagandistic invective. He was correct in a sense. Most �Indian Savages� were tilting toward the British as the lesser of two evils. Where the Colonials had proven land-hungry and duplicitous, the Brits had at least tried to set up a demarcation line that set aside a huge territory as Indian land. When war came, many tribes across the East made alliances of convenience and fought alongside the Redcoats. Queen Esther and her people were swept up in the warfare, culminating for her in the tragic Bloody Rock incident.
Years earlier, in the 1750s, Esther's war-chief husband had tried to make nice with the settlers. In reluctantly ceding a slice of territory to New Jersey, he expressed the earlier outlook that land and its bounty could be shared. His eloquent plea, as recorded in Colonial records and repeated in Visions of Teaoga, was this: �We desire that if we should come into your province to see our old friends, and should have occasion for the bark of a tree to cover a cabin, or a little refreshment, that we should not be denied, but be treated as brethren! And that your people may not look on the wild beasts of the forests or the fish of the waters as their sole property, but that we may be admitted to an equal use of them.�
As history also records, this outlook failed. The British abandoned their Indian allies, the demarcation line was extinguished, and a wave of westward expansion began.
Jefferson had prevailed.