Delaware Nation
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| United States (Oklahoma) | |
| Languages | |
| English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity, Native American Church, traditional tribal religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| other Lenape and Algonquian peoples |
The Delaware Nation, sometimes called the Absentee or Western Delaware, is one of two federally recognized tribe of Delaware Indians, along with the Delaware Indians based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.[2] The Delaware Nation's tribal complex is located two miles north of Anadarko, Oklahoma on Highway 281.
Background
The Lenape people were divided into three dialectal divisions, which later became the basis for the three Clans of the Lenape. These divisions were the Monsi (Munsee) or Wolf, the Unami or Turtle, and the Unilactigo or Turkey. The proper names for the clans as they now exist are Tùkwsit (Wolf Clan), Pùkuwànko (Turtle Clan), and Pële (Turkey Clan). The Delaware Nation is the Pùkuwànko (Turtle Clan).
The Delaware Nation was the first Indian nation to enter into a treaty with the newly formed government of the United States; the treaty was signed on September 17, 1778.
The Oklahoma branches were established in 1867, with the purchase of land by Delawares from the Cherokee Nation; two payments totaling $438,000 were made. A court dispute then followed over whether the sale included rights for the Delaware within the Cherokee Nation. The Curtis Act of 1898 dissolved tribal governments and ordered the allotment of tribal lands to individual members of tribes. The Lenape fought the act in the courts but lost, and in 1867 the courts ruled that they had only purchased rights to the land for their lifetimes. The lands were allotted in 160 acre (650,000 m²) lots in 1907, with any land left over sold to non-Indians.
The tribe became federally recognized on July 5, 1958 as the "Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma." They ratified their current constitution in 1972. In November 1999, the tribe officially changed its name to the Delaware Nation.[3]
In 2004 the Delaware of Oklahoma sued Pennsylvania over land lost in 1800, which was related to the Walking Purchase of 1737, an agreement of doubtful legal veracity.[4][5]
Today
The Delaware Nation has 1422 enrolled members. Their President is Kerry Holton. They are headquartered in Anadarko, and their tribal jurisdictional area is located within Caddo County, Oklahoma. They operate their own housing authority and issue tribal vehicle tags. The nation's annual economic impact is estimated at $5 million.[1] Their tribal casino, Gold River Bingo and Casino, is located north of Anadarko.[6]
The Delaware peoples traditionally spoke the Delaware language (also known as the Lenape language), Munsee and Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family. The Cultural Preservation Office of the Delaware Nation indicates on its webpage that it is "committed to the preservation and protection of Lenape... language," but it is unclear if there are any speakers of traditional languages among the present Delaware Nation.
References
- ^ a b "Pocket Pictorial." Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission. 2010: 12. (retrieved 10 June 2010)
- ^ Delaware Tribe regains federal recognition. NewsOk. 4 Aug 2009 (retrieved 5 August 2009)
- ^ McCollum, Timothy James. Delaware, Western. Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. (retrieved 21 Feb 2009)
- ^ http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1074259221938
- ^ http://www.delawaretribeofindians.nsn.us/walking_purchase.html
- ^ Gold River Bingo & Casino. 500 Nations. 2009 (retrieved 21 Feb 2009)
External links
- Delaware Nation - Official Web Site
- Article about the tribe, Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture.
