Along with the beautiful culture and traditions passed down by those who came before them, Indigenous People have inherited ongoing generational traumas directly and indirectly caused by the oppression and attempted forced erasure of their way of being. This panel will bring together Indigenous People with roots in Lenapehoking, from multiple Tribal Sister Nations, who grew up in the 90's and 00's experiencing the continued battle to reclaim their heritage from the brink of extinction. Topics explored will include how the monstrosities done unto their ancestors in the last century affect their everyday lives to this day, addressing stereotypes specific to East Coast Indigenous Nations, breaking Generational Curses rooted in colonization, and more. Panelists will include Creative Resident and panel curator Ty “Dancing Wolf” Ellis, Trinity Norwood, Keshia De Freece Lawrence, Carl Green, and Dr. Karelle Hall.
This panel is part of the Creative Residency program accompanying Declaration House, a public art and history exhibition presented by Monument Lab at Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia featuring Sonya Clark’s public artwork “The Descendants of Monticello.”
Presenters
Tyrone “Dancing Wolf” Ellis Jr is a Wolf Clan member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation of New Jersey. His culture is a very dominant part of the life that he lives on a daily basis. He has practiced many cultural arts, such as rattle making, drum making, singing & drumming, regalia making, beadwork, etc. These many arts have been taught to him by numerous respected elders and knowledge holders amongst the tribe, including well known people such as Chief Mark “Quiet Hawk” Gould, Co-Chief Lewis “Grey Squirrel” Sonny Pierce, late grandmother Lorraine “Rainbow Walker” Gregg, Chief Urie “Fox Sparrow” Ridgeway, Will Mosley Sr., Elder Edith Pierce and so on.
He was a recipient of the New Jersey Folk Arts Apprenticeship Grant, working under the tribe’s Chief to learn the creation of both Pow-Wow Drums and Water Drums. He has since then taught and demonstrated this art to the younger generation of tribal youth and their summer camp, as well as children during the residency program hosted by Wheaton Arts.
Keshia De Freece Lawrence is a Ramapough Lenape Munsee tribal member, with Montaukett ancestry. Keshia is the Indigenous Education Specialist at Harvard Forest, with an academic background in International Law and Conflict Negotiations. Lawrence is a twice invited United Nations Youth speaker, and an Indigenous consultant for tribal and non tribal stakeholders within climate policy, research and protocols.
Carl Green comes from the Nanticoke Lenni Lenape tribal nation in Bridgeton, New Jersey. He is a Native singer and dancer and has had the privilege to travel all across the United States and Canada sharing his tribe’s style of song and dance. He is truly committed to encouraging tribal citizens to be themselves and to create a positive environment for all parties. One team…One mission.
Karelle Hall has received a PhD in anthropology from Rutgers University. She received her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in Anthropology with a minor in Native American Studies. Her dissertation research explores embodied and distributed Indigenous sovereignty. As a member of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe, she has represented her nation at numerous events as both a speaker and dancer. She is actively working on Nanticoke language revitalization with the Nanticoke Tribe, including publishing a children’s language book and organizing community classes.
Trinity Norwood is a citizen of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation in South Jersey. She serves her people as an adviser to the tribal youth group as well as the head coordinator for the Tribal Royalty program.
As an advocate for indigenous peoples, Trinity works to promote and educate about indigenous issues through multiple mediums including art, film, and literature. She is on the board for Philadelphia Indigenous People’s Day, has been featured on Comcast newsmakers, and interviewed by Kathy O’Connell for WXPN Kids Corner. As a writer, Trinity creates poetry and short stories that focus on her experience of being a Lenape woman. Some of her pieces have been published in the Voices poetry anthology collection and used for local art projects like the Ghost Ship exhibit at Race Street Pier. She has also appeared in local historical documentaries like the Philadelphia Experiment and the Kings Highway.
Credits
Major support for Declaration House has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from VIA Art Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts. Project partners include Independence National Historical Park and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s Monticello and its Getting Word African American Oral History Project.