This theme focuses on the indigenous history of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The city of Scranton, situated along the Lackawanna River in the greater Susquehanna River watershed, occupies an important part of the Wyoming Valley.
Prior to European colonization, Northeast Pennsylvania offered ample space and resources for the Lenape, the People of the River Valleys, to make this area their home.
Local lore in Scranton suggests that the Lenape did not make a permanent home in this region, but instead used it for migration, important meetings, and burying their dead. The Munsee (or Monsey) band of the Lenape made use of the region most frequently, and one area, Capouse Meadows in North Scranton, has been marked by a state historical marker.
The native presence in this region has been mostly neglected aside from key places named after the Lenape, such as Lackawanna (“stream that forks”) and Nay Aug (noisy water or roaring brook). Research and public programs will seek to recover and tell a truthful and authentic story that incorporates numerous perspectives.
A keynote talk with Curtis Zunigha, enrolled member of the Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma and co-director and co-founder of the Lenape Center in New York. Now living & working in Lenapehoking, the Lenape ancestral homeland, Zunigha will share his experience and mission to heal the wounds of forced removal & colonization and his desire is to restore the circle of friendship, respect, and shared occupancy.
Original source can be found here
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