Rising Nation River Journey

Paddle along!

By SANDY LONG

DELAWARE RIVER BASIN — Jim Beer is busy lining up campsites and sorting out the myriad details involved in preparing for a two-week canoe journey down the mighty Delaware River. Beer, tribal spokesperson for the Lena’pe Nation of Pennsylvania, also serves the tribe as its Rising Nation coordinator, a role that includes overseeing the upcoming River Journey.

The purpose of the trip is to continue forging a sense of brotherhood between the tribe and the people that neighbor the river. On Friday, August 4, Beer and other members of the Lena’pe Nation will take to the waters of the Delaware River, beginning at Hancock, NY and ending at Pennsbury Manor, the former estate of Pennsylvania founder William Penn in Morrisville, PA.

Beer led the first River Journey four years ago, which culminated in the signing of a treaty between the Lena’pe and those who wish to actively support the preservation of Lena’pe culture, people, language and way of life. Beer believes that preserving Lena’pe history helps to preserve the history of Pennsylvania. That belief is based upon the fact that the Lena’pe people lived for centuries along the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey.

The treaty was signed by various environmental groups, historical societies, churches and individuals on August 24, 2002. It was agreed that a re-signing of the treaty, as well as the River Journey itself, would recur every four years.

Once again, the Lena’pe are inviting all interested parties to participate for any part of the two-week paddle. The trip will conclude on August 17 and the treaty signing will occur on August 19. The gathering for the signing is scheduled from noon to 6:00 p.m. and will include Native American dancing and drumming. There is no charge for persons taking part in the river journey. To help offset costs associated with the event, souvenir tickets are available for $10 each for all others who wish to attend.

The mission of the journey is to bring like-minded groups and communities together from the Upper and Lower Delaware River regions and to develop partnerships, projects and programs that promote, protect and celebrate Pennsylvania’s cultural identity, natural resources and beauty. The Lena’pe wish, also, “to acknowledge our place in this great life as human beings and as caretakers of this land, keeping in mind the best interests of the next seven generations.”

The Lena’pe intend to implement a similar mission at a special site in Hawley, PA. In a serendipitous interplay of chance and opportunity, the tribe was seeking a land base from which to establish a cultural center to provide education about Lenape history while promoting environmental sustainability through traditional Lenape teachings. Their search was mentioned in news stories during the first River Journey.

Pike County property owner Jane Quick read of their plight and contacted Beer. Quick had begun working with the Delaware Highlands Conservancy, a land trust serving Pennsylvania and New York, in order to implement her mother’s dying wish that their farm be preserved from development forever.

Ultimately, a conservation easement was established that will protect the beautiful 110-acre property, which features cleared and forested land as well as a heron rookery and sacred stone sites. And in the Lena’pe Nation, Quick found long-term caretakers with a like-minded perspective.

Virginia Kennedy of Dingmans Ferry, PA, who is assisting with the tribe’s 2006 journey, explains, “The River Journey and the Lena’pe Nation’s long-term goals for the Quick property are opportunities for reconciliation in a world increasingly devoid of the chances for such. The river has two banks, but it is not the banks that count. What matters is our willingness to get in the water and take a better look at the other side. All human experience is shared experience. The Lena’pe are asking us to join them in the river and to remember what it means to be truly human in the world and truly connected to each other.”

Plans are underway for another Hawley-related event featuring the Lena’pe. Following the River Journey, the Lena’pe Nation will hold its ninth annual pow wow in Bingham Park, Hawley, PA, on September 23 and 24, beginning at 10:00 a.m. The event will feature Native American drumming, singing, storytelling, arts, crafts and food. Admission for adults is $5.00; for seniors, $3.00; for children 6 to 12, $3.00; for children 5 and under is free. Proceeds will benefit Lena’pe Nation educational and agricultural programs. The public is encouraged to attend.

For more information or to order tickets to the treaty signing, visit www.lenapenation.org, contact Shelley DePaul at depaul@ptd.net or call Jim Beer at 215/257-0389.