Delaware Nation

Delaware Nation

Total population
1,422[1]
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. Today the clans are known as the 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 Delaware from the Cherokee Nation; they made two payments totaling $438,000. A court dispute followed over whether the sale included citizenship 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. This was related to the colonial government's 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.

Notable tribal members

• Black Beaver (1806—1880), Delaware leader, scout, and rancher

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Pocket Pictorial." Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission. 2010: 12. (retrieved 10 June 2010)
2. ^ Delaware Tribe regains federal recognition. NewsOk. 4 Aug 2009 (retrieved 5 August 2009)
3. ^ McCollum, Timothy James. Delaware, Western. Oklahoma Historical Society's Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture. (retrieved 21 Feb 2009)
4. ^ [http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1074259221938
5. ^ "Walking Purchase", Delaware Tribe of Indians
6. ^ 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.