Preserving Our True Originals
By Albert B. Kelly
By any measure, 12,000 years is a long time- but that’s how
far back you can trace the lineage of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape peoples in what
we’ve come to know as South Jersey and the Delaware Valley.
That’s roughly 500 generations and when you measure their
connection to our area in this way, 1982 seems like the blink of an eye. That
was the year that the New Jersey legislature, via concurrent resolution,
officially recognized the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation.
Of course, for those of us raised in this area, they are our
friends and neighbors and colleagues and even family- the resolution reminded
us of what we already knew- that the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation was here
long before anyone else put stakes in the ground.
The 1982 concurrent resolution was far more than ceremonial;
the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation had to provide genealogical records,
the mechanisms of self-government, testimonies and whatever else was necessary
to establish their bona fides as a distinct tribal nation- which they did.
This process of official recognition by the state, which was
also conferred on the Powhatan-Renape Nation and the Ramapough Mountain Indians
in 1981, was part of reversing the historical injustices done to these native
peoples.
In practical terms, this official recognition by New Jersey
means that these tribal nations would now be eligible, not only for similar
recognition at the federal level, but more importantly for whatever federal
assistance might be available for native peoples from the federal gvernment.
This eligibility is no small thing- we’re talking about tens
of thousands of dollars from the federal government yearly to address health issues
(i.e. diabetes and hypertension common among native peoples), as well as food
insecurity, educational opportunities, workforce training, and small business
resources to name a few.
In the case of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation, this official
state recognition and, by extension access to federal resources, translated
into approximately $7 million over the past decade or so that enabled them to
address food insecurity, entrepreneurship, health-related initiatives, college
scholarships, and job creation.
These resources are some of the very things that not only allow
a tribal nation to be self-determining, but to live their lives with the
dignity and pride that was stolen from them on the nation’s journey to
“Manifest Destiny”.
Since 1982, official state recognition had been reaffirmed
in various ways- whether through the state’s Commission on American Indian
Affairs formed in 1995, the NJ Secretary of State in 2000, court proceedings in
2005, a state committee on Native American affairs in 2007, or the 2010 census.
But today, the Nanticoke, Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation- our
neighbors, friends, colleagues, partners, and even family- need our support
because they are fighting to maintain their state recognition as a tribal
nation. Apparently, the powers that be in Trenton are trying to do away with
that recognition retroactively.
It stems from a 2001 amendment to the law covering the state’s
Commission on American Indian Affairs; any new tribes seeking recognition after
2001 (beyond the original 3), would need specific statutory authorization.
In a nutshell, by “reinterpreting” some language, the state seeks
to taketh in 2016 what it giveth in 1982 using verbiage from 2001-go figure. It
comes down to whether being “recognized” is somehow different than being “acknowledged”
or even “designated” - the difference between a “dolphin” or “porpoise”.
As to why, it could be garden variety prejudice or perhaps a
concern that as a “recognized” tribal nation, the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape, or
maybe the Powhatan-Renape and the Ramapough Mountain Indians, might decide to
get into the gaming and casino business.
Never mind that they are opposed to gambling for religious
and moral reasons and that they have memorialized their opposition in writing,
they’ve also offered to have a prohibition against gaming written into law or
statute if that would help ease concerns.
But to no avail- their recognized status is being threatened
regardless. Forget for a moment the resources they stand to lose, which are not
insignificant.
This challenge to their bona fides is one more indignity and
one more injustice in long history of injustice. But the loss of recognition,
and by extension federal resources, threatens the very nucleus of their self-determination
and the well-being of many.
While the thing may ultimately be decided in a courtroom, the
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Nation is not necessarily asking for more, they just
don’t want to lose what little they have, and that’s not too much to ask.