My friend Brice Obermeyer, of the Delaware Tribe’s Historic Preservation Office, and I developed five new activities about the Lenape/Delaware tribe. This resource was commissioned by the Friends for the Abbott Marshlands to teach students about New Jersey’s Indigenous people and the role of the Abbott Marshlands in Lenape life.
Each of the five activity themes provide an in-depth look at a specific aspect of Delaware culture and history, and its connection to Lenapehoking. (Lenapehoking is the traditional Lenape homeland, which includes New Jersey).
First, Brice created a wealth of historical and background materials. He is an anthropologist who has researched the history and culture of the Delaware tribe. Then I developed accessible, hands-on activities and discussion prompts. These materials connect learners to the content in an intentional and mindful way. Finally, we sent the activities to 12 tribal authorities for review, and incorporated their feedback.
These activities will be offered exclusively through Mercer County Park’s Tulpehaking Nature Center. In January 2021, we held our first training/focus session with the nature center’s staff and received great feedback and suggestions.
The nature center is still developing its plans to offer the activities. Tentatively, they may offer two of the activities virtually (for now). Once in-person programs resume, they’ll roll out the remaining three activities. Information will be available at tulpehaking.org, so please contact the team there to learn more.
It was a pleasure to share and honor the history of New Jersey’s Indigenous people. And I’m thrilled this project aligned with my passion of creating accessible, hands-on educational experiences for youth.
Contact me to discuss how I can help your organization develop impactful and engaging educational experiences for your students.
