Cohanzick Nature Reserve
Breaking News! Sixty percent of funding was raised.
Sixty percent of the funding has been secured to date. We seek organizational and individual support and welcome you or your organization to join us in making this vision a reality.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) has partnered with NAAC to assist with the transaction. The NJ Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is also a committed funding partner. The total cost for this project is approximately $875,000.
New Jersey Conservation Foundation (NJCF) has partnered with NAAC to assist with the transaction. The NJ Chapter of The Nature Conservancy is also a committed funding partner. The total cost for this project is approximately $875,000.
Our History
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We, Nanticoke Lenape, have survived the winters by planting the seeds, nurturing the land and plants, and harvesting the fruitfulness of our labor.
Little is known about us, Nanticoke Lenape, and the perils of our existence. We never speak about our hurt and pain and how we survived. We have stories from our elders and pass these stories on to our youth from one generation to the next. For many years we survived as a remote community and remained a hidden people. Our babies, brothers, and sisters have been torn away from our homeland for hundreds of years. They are still a part of our life and our soil today. We remained and are keeping this land and seed for all. |
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In 1524, we revealed ourselves to Giovanni da Verrazzano, a Florentine explorer of North America. We were living on what is now called the Delaware River. In 1924, 400 years later, we American Indians finally became citizens of America. But this Act was not retroactive. We were not citizens if we were born before 1924.
This citizenship did not change until the passage of The Nationality Act of 1940, just 80 years ago. My name is Ty from the Nanticoke Lenape Nation. I am the President and CEO of Native American Advancement Corp. My grandfather was born in 1919. His military service card listed him as an Indian "Citizen" because he participated in the war.
In 1628 we welcomed the Puritan's first town in Salem, Massachusetts. They told us that they called themselves "Puritans." They wanted to "purify" themselves from the Church of England. The puritans set up a religious colony based on their beliefs and to practice their religious freedom.
In 1978, 350 years later, The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was finally established. This act protected our rights so that we could exercise our traditional religion. In 1978, we finally had access to our sacred sites and objects and the freedom to worship through traditional ceremonies.
We protect the animals and fish. We are still here. They tried to erase us from history, yet history preserved us through antiquity. They have recorded our tribal presence, not just ancient communities, but our bones that are buried in this land.
This citizenship did not change until the passage of The Nationality Act of 1940, just 80 years ago. My name is Ty from the Nanticoke Lenape Nation. I am the President and CEO of Native American Advancement Corp. My grandfather was born in 1919. His military service card listed him as an Indian "Citizen" because he participated in the war.
In 1628 we welcomed the Puritan's first town in Salem, Massachusetts. They told us that they called themselves "Puritans." They wanted to "purify" themselves from the Church of England. The puritans set up a religious colony based on their beliefs and to practice their religious freedom.
In 1978, 350 years later, The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was finally established. This act protected our rights so that we could exercise our traditional religion. In 1978, we finally had access to our sacred sites and objects and the freedom to worship through traditional ceremonies.
We protect the animals and fish. We are still here. They tried to erase us from history, yet history preserved us through antiquity. They have recorded our tribal presence, not just ancient communities, but our bones that are buried in this land.
