Nanticoke Natives: The Colonization of a Community and Culture

DELAWARE – The Nanticoke people of Delaware are proud of their traditions and beliefs. Unfortunately, there was a time when this was not allowed.

History

‘Nanticoke means people of the tidewater– which is very appropriate for us, because we have always lived on the East Coast. So we actually started in the state of Virginia and Maryland. and migrated to the State of Delaware. we were known as great hunters and fishermen.” Tribal Assistant Chief Farrah Norwood Stigall describes the life of the indigenous people before colonialism. “If you weren’t white, it didn’t matter what race or ethnicity you were, you were considered a person of color.”

Religion

Chief Herman Jackson says the native population was self-sufficient and originally lived on the Nanticoke River in Laurel, Vienna and Seaford. “When the Europeans came, a lot of people left and we kind of had to assimilate. Mingle.” Despite the fact that the natives attempted to adopt European customs, according to Chief Herman, they were forbidden from practicing many of their own customs. “Around 1890 they (the Europeans) became afraid and forbade the Native Americans to organize ceremonies, whatever, they took it all away from us… Before the Europeans came, all the tribes had one great spirit. We only had one. Just like the Europeans had one God. Our religions are actually parallel to each other, but the Europeans didn’t see it because we gave it a different name. Europeans go to a church to talk about the creator, we went in to talk to him.”

Genealogical genocide

Historically, Native Americans were seen as colored or black in some cases. For years, Native Americans were classified as black, mixed, or other, and were forced to identify as such. In 1885, a Nanticoke man living in modern-day Millsboro, Levin Sockum, was tried for illegally selling gunpowder to a person of color. He sold it to his relative, Isaiah Harmon, who also belonged to the Nanticoke tribe. This “crime” was significant because just 25 years earlier the Nat Turner Rebellion occurred and white people were concerned about people of color having access to ammunition. Assistant Chief Stigall is his direct descendant and remembers hearing the stories from her great-great-great-grandfather when he was growing up. “It was illegal at the time because you’re selling any kind of gunpowder or firearm to a person of color,” she says.

Educational obstacles

Unfortunately, this was just one of many forms of racism that the Nanticoke people faced. They have suffered ethnic erasure and currently face issues of cultural appropriation, misidentification, and historical errors. “In 1875, Delaware passed a school tax. So even though our children were not allowed to go to school, because they were not allowed to go to school with white people, we still had to pay that tax.” Farrah Stigall also tells us that the Nanticoke Museum was also an educational institution, even though there wasn’t one.

Putting the pieces together

The Nanticoke people have been trying to map the history and culture of their people for decades. During their Heritage Day Celebration, they will honor the author of the new Nanticoke Language book, Keith Cunningham. Assistant Chief Stigall shares her excitement: “So our language was lost for a while… Linguists have come in and tried to teach us different words and phrases… But this is the first book we have and it has a CD in it and we can learn how to actually speak and say the language.”

Teaching future generations

Looking to the tribe’s future, the Nanticoke people would like to see their history recognized and respected. Chief Herman Jackson wants more school systems to get on board with introducing history into the curriculum. “It’s a shame it’s not taught properly in schools…Learn about Native American history because you don’t have American history without Native American history. And be honest about it, be honest. Europeans have taken land, that is a fact. So, learn it!”

The Nanticoke Indian Tribe’s annual Heritage Day will be held on Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the grounds of the Nanticoke Indian Museum near Millsboro. The Heritage Day event is open to the public with free admission and features food vendors with traditional Native American dishes, stories and a performance by the Nanticoke Indian Dance Troupe.