Milford chronicle., 1930-11-14
Ghosts Of Vanished Tribes
Walk The Peninsula
Indians In Delaware
Alice Breme

ALICE bF6iQ6
I saw a group of children playing
Indians" in the woods by the banks
of river. They played, living once
more scenes narrated in history,
treading with light feet the ground
that had been treaded by still light
er feet a few years back. As
watched, the figures of the children
faded, then changed, finally grow
ing brighter again, and 1 saw them
as children no longer, but as the
race they were impersonating. The
rest of the scene remained the same
except for the houses of the town
in the distance. They also changed
and 10! through the trees I saw that
they were Indian tepees. The chill
dren, scampering through the trees,
rolling ON the pine. carpet beneath,
or leisurely fishing in the stream,
seem perfectly content. They have
nothing else to do until they are
fifteen years old. Then, by the law
of the Nanticokes, to which tribe
they belong, they will go into the
woods to hunt. If they are brave
enough and can bring in pelts and
skins they will marry and become
full-fedged members of the tribe.
There will not be much fighting for
them, because the Indians of lower
Delaware were peaceful and con-
tent with whatever befell them.
AS evening approaches the Indian
boys stop their playing to return to
the tepees that can be seen in the
distance. When they reach home
they find, much to their surprise,
that one of the white-faced strang-
ers that now live here has come to
the sachem of the tribe. Creeping
as close as they can to the camp
fire where the braves and the pale
stranger are, they listen in silence
to the story their sachem is telling
the man. Their moccasined feet
make no noise, their agile bodies
crawl lightely nearer the fire. They
listen with eyes intently fixed on
the sachem, who is telling a story
ever new to them.
'Near the wide sea where the sun
sinks at night" the old chief was
OelJ 1A5g JACAC Jul elUCCOLOA0 lANCQs
We know because our grandfathers
told us, and their grandfathers told
them. The prophets said there was
a fairer land in the east, and our
people came east to seek the land.
On the way we met a mighty nation |
of men, the Mengwes, Qroquois) |
who travelled with us. They were a |
strong nation but they were not as
old as we, the father of the nations,
the Lenni-Lenape. Travelling to-
gether we crossed the Mamaesi Sipu |
(MississippD, the father of waters.
When we reached the eastern side
we found a hostile nation who were
stronger than we and more skilled
in warfare. They had fortified towns
and strongholds and called them
selves the Allegwi (Mound-builders)
They let part of our people pass,
and when we were thus divided they
fell upon us to kill us. The Mani
Lou had meant us to come east,
however. Together with the Mengwe
we conquered them so that we
might continue our journey. After
that the Mengwe travelled north
while we took southern course.
When we came to the river of the
Lenape (Delaware) we stopped and
began to make our homes. That is
our history We will trade with you,
1ut we cannot sell you all the lands
hat belonged to our forefathers."
The white man frowns. The In
lian boys'' eyes grow large. Does he
want to take their homes away
rom them? Then the white man
speaks:
81 will add to my former price all
he liquor your braves can carry in
i've canoes, if you will only sell me
his land" Fire-water! The eyes
Of the braves seated around the fire
glitter but their faces do not change.
The old chief looks at them. "If