Our Stories, Our Future: The Eastern Delaware Nations Oral History Project

Abstract

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania takes the stance that there are no Native Americans within the borders of the state, but as in the rest of the United States there has been over the last three decades a rising consciousness among Pennsylvanians with some native ancestry of their cultural heritage. These people contend that they are descended from intermarriages between colonial Europeans and the indigenous Lenape or Susquehannock peoples, and that their ancestors did not leave Pennsylvania in the 18th century, as history books assert, but rather stayed behind, assimilated, and hid their native background for fear of reprisals. Today these individuals are proud of their background and have formed a number of organizations to promote greater awareness of their existence. In recent years, a number of challenges have arisen to the authenticity of these claims, charging that people calling themselves Native Americans in Pennsylvania are frauds. The authors have partnered with the largest native organization in the state, the Eastern Delaware Nations, on an oral history project to identify and where possible authenticate claims of native ancestry. The paper discusses the many obstacles to be encountered in this effort.