By Shealyn Miles
Special Features Editor

To “walk the red road” is to persist along a path, timeless in nature. Archaic traditions remain spirited in the hands of a people most passionately devoted to a respect for all relations. Seldom acknowledged for their rich history in our community, Lenape people strive to live their time-honored ways of life in a modern world of dwindling priorities.

“It is very difficult walking in two worlds, one of our culture and tradition, and one of what mainstream society demands of us. Often times, we get so caught up in society’s way of doing things that we fall off our paths,” Chuck DeMund, Ceremonial Chief, Lenape Nation of PA, said.

Despite these temptations for societal norms, DeMund explains that several people, including young children, continue to keep up with some of the oldest rituals to date. Among these ceremonies is “going to the water.” It involves going to their homeland of Lenape Sipu (what is known to most as the Delaware River), and giving thanks for all that it gives. They sing songs and offer “prayer ties” to it as well. This is also a time for washing away the bad things in their lives.

“We try to maintain balance in our lives and work toward peaceful solutions, accepting others as they are,” Carla J. S. Messinger, cultural eduacator and consultant, said.

In the fast pace environment of the present age, Lenape people find themselves illustrating their culture in a fashion that is similar to many familiar service learning organizations. Messinger, for example, describes her view that people must not be wasteful, people should use items in as many ways possible in order to cut down on trash and recyclables.

The greatest belief of the Lenape people is that everything—plants and animals just as people—are equal.

“In tribal living, issues are discussed in a circle,” Shelley DePaul, assistant chief, Lenape Nation, said.

Though elders hold a significant amount of credibility, even young children have their voices heard. DePaul recalled a story of a time in which the European people asked how many natives there were. The response, “How do you count the stars in the sky?”

As Lenape people continue with their traditional lives in a modern world, they continue to pass along their culture to future generations. (DePaul does this as she is the keeper of language, teaching it at Swarthmore to not only Lenape descendants, but any prospective students.)