Update from Chief Brad KillsCrow Delaware Tribe

From the Desk of Chief Brad KillsCrow Brad KillsCrow, Chief, Delaware Tribe of Indians

Summer has arrived in full force and the temperatures in the last few weeks have already been unreasonably hot and humid. While the warmer weather has been a welcome change, there have been instances when higher temperatures have created an environment for severe storms that have impacted our region. Please, always be weather-aware and have a plan of action prepared in case severe weather becomes a threat to you and your loved ones. The Delaware Tribe will again host a cooling station in Forsythe Hall Monday–Friday from 1:00–5:00 P.M. If you’re seeking a place to get out of the heat, please stop by and cool off!

The 60th Annual Delaware Pow Wow was held this past Memorial Day weekend at the Fall-Leaf Family Campgrounds. I want to thank the Delaware Pow Wow committee for all their hard work that went into the organization of the Pow Wow including setup, cleanup, operating the concession stand, securing vendors, fund raising, etc. that made it a successful event. I also want to thank the Delaware Tribe’s Maintenance department for all their hard work in mowing, trimming trees, painting, etc. leading up to the Pow Wow and their continual work at the grounds. This was our groundskeeper Jason Murphy’s first year, and he did a great job communicating with us and doing whatever needed to be done so that we would have a successful Pow Wow. Jason has maintained the grounds well since his appointment to the position, yet there is still work to be done, such as on the electric and PA systems, reseeding the arena, etc. that we are committed to doing throughout the coming year. I also want to give a shout-out to Levi Randoll and the Cultural Preservation Committee for leading the cultural activities on Thursday evening, and to Tahkoken Michael-Bread for leading the Bean Dance exhibition Sunday night, which everyone really enjoyed. It was nice to share some of our culture with visiting tribes! Overall, the Pow Wow was a great success and many family reunions and celebrations were held on the grounds in a safe family environment.

In April I attended the Unami language symposium at Princeton University with Dr. Nicky Michael, River Michael, and Tahkoken Michael as representatives of the Delaware Tribe of Indians. This event builds upon the Munsee Language and History Symposia that have been held annually at Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study since 2021. Language keepers across all Lenape communities, along with local partners, gather on Lenape lands to strengthen our relationships with a particular focus on Lenape language reclamation and revitalization. Also in attendance were representatives from the Delaware Nation (Anadarko, OK), as well as Princeton students and faculty. Sessions focused on “Lenape Belongings, Lenape Language, Lenape History”; “Lenape’ok, Gender, and Language”; and “Lenape Relationships to Land.” It was a great opportunity to build a relationship with Princeton University, and I appreciated them hosting us.

Also in April, I attended the Great Plains Land-Back Leadership Summit at the University of Kansas. This event featured tribal leaders, scholars, and expert practitioners working to advance the sovereignty of Native Nations through tribal land reclamation and stewardship projects. Some of the things discussed were actual land-back stories that demonstrate the legal, economic, political, and technical skills needed to engage in successful land reclamation projects. It also deepens our collective understanding of what this means beyond the oversimplified narrative of “buying back land.” I was able to talk and discuss how we have been actively looking for land in our homelands for repatriation of our ancestors. I talked about the many relationships we have built with our federal partners and how we have been able to get small amounts of land in the homelands for repatriation. It was a very informative discussion, and I was able to take away many ideas on future land-back projects.

At the end of April, I traveled with Cultural Education director Jeremy Johnson to the Delaware Water Gap and Cherry Valley, Pennsylvania for another repatriation of our ancestors. We had approximately 80 ancestors and over 18,000 funerary objects that we reinterred back to the earth. There was a lot of hard work from THPO Director Martina Thomas and Jeremy Johnson to petition and get custody of our ancestral remains so we can properly reinter them. This process usually takes anywhere from 3–5 years and it’s our duty to take care of the remains of our ancestors who have made a way for all of us to be here today.

We are currently in the design and pre-construction phase of building our new 6,000-squarefoot Lenape Cultural Center! I’m very excited about this project which is well overdue for our Tribe. In the new Cultural Center there will be a museum and exhibit space that will tell our story. There will also be classrooms and proper museum grade storage. We will have the ability to retrieve our artifacts, bring them back to the Tribe, and care for them properly. Currently museums are reluctant to give us our items back because we do not have the tools to properly preserve them. With temp/humiditycontrolled storage we can once again reclaim our heritage. Once the final design renderings are complete, we will share those with you. I want to thank and acknowledge Annette Ketchum, Joe Baker, Rusty Creed Brown, and Jeremy Johnson who have provided valuable input on the new Lenape Cultural Center. We are also currently in the design and pre-construction phase on the new 26,000-square-foot Gymnasium and Wellness Center. The Gymnasium will have a large indoor basketball court with a walking track above. There will also be a full kitchen near the gym. The Wellness portion will feature a weight room, showers, lockers, a classroom, and storage. We will also share those design renderings once they are available. I hope with this new gymnasium will have a place for our youth to gather and provide more tribal youth programs! Both projects are scheduled to be completed at the end of December 2026!

In closing, I would like to thank you all for your support, prayers and encouragement. The Tribe’s continued success is our success, so let us all continue the work of moving our Tribe forward together! ■