The foundation of every sub-project within the Great Lakes and Eastern Woodlands research cluster is based on community relationships. As a result, community priorities — beginning with land-based work on Indigenous language reclamation and revitalization — determine the directions of all research activities. These activities centre on the study of books that emerge from or were used by Lunaapeewak or Anishinabek, as well as on wampum items that are currently held in museums in North America and Europe. In each case, the focus is on community access to their belongings, both digital and in person, and on the sharing of research results in a way that respects Indigenous sovereignty, with decisions regarding what information is to be shared being made by the community of origin. By making sure that every sub-project in this area is carried out by a research group that includes members of the Nation, we aim to proceed in a way that is both intentional and respectful. We believe that this approach centres the community of origin in a good way while also offering cultural heritage institutions — museums, libraries, and archives — the opportunity to improve their own care practices and level of community engagement.
Linking Past and Future through Wampum Knowledge
by Kristin Jacobs, Munsee-Delaware language keeper (Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit / Delaware Nation at Moraviantown)
I had an incredible experience being able to visit the Beads of Diplomacy exhibit and wampum symposium at the McCord Stewart Museum in Montréal in February (2024). The exhibit brought together over 40 wampum belts and other related objects. Listening to all of the speakers and presenters, I really felt a sense of pride for our peoples living during such a hostile period, but still trying to find peace and understanding for the better good of all nations involved. Their intelligence speaks to these beautiful works of art in these wampum belts and pipes, using all natural materials around them. They were constructed with gifts from Kukuna Ahkuy (mother earth) to make these important discussions about her, and giving the belts themselves their own spirits, hence being living objects.
I’ve just started making wampum belts and know the struggles of broken needles and using the new-age loom method to construct them. It had always baffled me on what was used for the string and needle back way back then and knew there had to be another way. During the presentations, I was happy to learn there wasn’t a needle at all, but that a twist tie method was used, like in the photo taken. This really brought my understanding to another level, realising the long, tedious process to construct one.
Being at events and gatherings like so, I always take away the importance of relationship building and connecting with one another orally. Being in the physical presence of a knowledge-keeper and their stories is not something you can always pick up a book and read. It’s up to you to internalise and recall those oral teachings to keep them alive.
Being a Munsee-Delaware language teacher, it’s always been important for me to know and understand my people’s, and our language's, history. Since becoming a teacher I’ve learned that our history involves the exchange of wampum belts during some pretty historic time periods. It wasn’t until I myself was an adult that I started to educate myself more about my people and where we came from. I feel that I’m learning right alongside my students at Naahii-Ridge Elementary. The majority of my students come from our community Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit in Southern Ontario, Canada, and travel into the local town of Ridgetown for elementary school. A lot has changed since I was once a student at that school. At that time we only had French language. Now students have the option of taking either as a second language. We also have Treaty Week in our school board, held every November. This is where my wampum learning really took a turn. I’m always happy to share about our relatives’ stories and wampum belts such as the Haudenosaunee peoples and the Anishinaabek peoples, but most important is to teach our own first. Attending events like these is educating not only myself but my students and community as well. I share everything with my students, so that unlike myself, they will grow up knowing their language, the stories and histories from where we originally come from and the influence of wampum along our journey to where our community is located today.
A Discussion of Libraries and Indigenous Books
Project members Suzanne Conklin Akbari (IAS), Melissa Moreton (IAS), and Ian McCallum (Munsee-Delaware Nation / OISE, U of Toronto), along with Princeton University Librarian Anu Vedantham, co-authored a forthcoming Library Trends journal article, “Huluniixsuwaakan: The Role of the Library in Munsee-Delaware Language Revitalization and the Development of Community Relationships on Lenape Land.” The essay discusses the community-centred, collections-related work taking place around the annual Munsee Language & History Symposium, held annually at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey––an event focused on Munsee (or “Lunaape”) language reclamation and cultural revitalization. Princeton sits on the traditional homelands of the Lunaapeew (Delaware) people. The article discusses goals of the project for both Lunaape language teachers and library staff and explores the challenges encountered, including problems using existing standardised terminology and controlled vocabularies for describing library materials, difficulties encountered when working with a wide range of stakeholders, and institutional barriers to making materials freely accessible to community members. The article offers a series of questions and recommendations to assist academic libraries in developing relationships with Indigenous communities and implementing best practices to nurture such relationships.
