Eastward Legend
Shelly Takacs
Carol has invited me to join Sage as a columnist, so my first thoughts would be to introduce myself and let our readers know a little of my background. Although I am not a native, I have close ties to Barrett since I am related to an original settler through my matriarchal lineage. My family played a prominent early role, and for the past five years or so, I have been tracing the development of Barrett Township through "Times in the Past," which ran in the Mountain Mail. The reader learned of the early manufacturing industries, involvement in the Civil War Carol, I believe, got tired of that lengthy series, and the emergence of the Poconos as a resort area.
Pocono, by the way, is attributed to the Minsi Wolf, one of the five tribes of the Lenni Lenapi nation which resided in this area long ago. It is a corruption of Pocohanne, signifying "a stream between mountains" but was applied to the region as a whole. Leigh, another Lenapi name, is derived from Lechaw-weeki, or Lechanweking signifying where these are forks. Tobyhanna, a corruption of Topi-hanne, signified "Alder-Stream" or "a stream whose banks are lined with Alder."
The name Lenni-Lenapi pronounced as if spelled "lun-NAH-pay" signifies "original people." These Native Americans insisted that they existed from the beginning of time. In fact, more than 20 Indian nations admitted their antiquity and called them grandfathers. An archeological discovery of an Indian campsite on the Musconetcong River in Warren, N.J., carbon dated some of the artifacts to more than 10,000 years ago.
According to their own legend, the ancestors of the Lenapi had dwelt in a faraway country beyond the "Father of Waters" the Namisi Sipu, or Mississippi and "near the wide sea in which the sun sank every night." Their prophets told them to migrate east to a fair land. As they traveled eastward they came across the Mengwe Iroquois, whose path ran in the same direction. However, their travel was obstructed by the Allegewi, who were skillful in the art of defenses and fortified villages.
The two migrating nations battled the Allegewi separately, but were defeated by the defenders who were stronger in numbers and skill. The Lenapi and Iroquois formed an uneasy alliance, and eventually drove the Allegewi back. Once the common enemy had been annihilated, the Mengwe continued northward towards the Mohicannituck or Hudson River Valley.
The Lenapi traveled a different path, south and eastward and eventually reached the lands in which they had been directed to go. The nation divided into tribes and moved apart so their nation could better grow. Eventually the Lenapi domain extended from the seacoast between the Chesapeake and Long Island Sound back beyond the Susquehanna to the Alleghenies and northward to the hunting grounds of the Iroquois. The Minsi, or Wolf clan of the Lenapi chose to settle on the local banks of the beautiful Wihittuck or Delaware River near here.
For the most part, the tribes of the Pocono regions were a peaceful people with the early settlers of the area. However, disputes did arise. The Lenapi nation constantly battled the fearsome Iroquois of New York State, who were trying to seduce them. When the French arrived in Canada, the Iroquois sought to pacify the Lenapi Indians. With skillful diplomacy, the Iroquois convinced them to abandon their arms and act as mediators from these invaders and preserve the entire Indian race.
Although some migrated to Canada, most of the Lenapi in this area began their trek westward. Each time they settled into a permanent home, the Native Americans were forced by the government to move on. Their trek, which lasted more than 130 years, finally brought them to Oklahoma.
Based upon documentary evidence and upon information from tribal informants, a brief sketch of the Chitimacha Tribe prior to contact with Europeans can be constructed. The Chitimacha were arranged in a class system. This system was more rigid than the famous Natchez system, employing different forms of address, both polite and common. Clans also existed; the wolf, bear, dog, and lion clan were documented in the early 1900s. Clan membership was based on matrilineal descent.
The Chitimacha subsisted on maize, potatoes, and wild game. They preferred deer, alligator, and aquatic species. Hunting and fishing were accomplished with the aid of bone, stone, or garfish scale pointed arrows, or through the use of blow guns and wooden darts, as well as, nets and traps for fishing. The Chitimacha were prolific ceramics producers until about 200 years ago when those techniques were lost to history, however the designs are said to have been similar to those employed in basketry.
The crown jewel of the Chitimacha cultural tradition is river cane basketry, both single and double woven. According to tribal legend, basketry was taught to the Chitimacha by a deity and has been practiced by tribal families for thousands of years. There are at least 50 different design elements, which can be combined to create hundreds of different basket designs.
At the time of contact with European explorers and other non-indigenous populations, the Chitimacha were known as the most powerful tribe between Texas and Florida. Iberville, an early French explorer, encountered the Chitimacha and one of their subdivisions, the Washa along the shores of the Mississippi River in 1699. In 1706, as a response to slave raids and French aggressions, a group of Chitimacha killed St. Cosme, a priest and slave owner, and several members of his party, who were missionaries to the Natchez Tribe. Bienville responded to this by convincing other tribes to help them make war on the Chitimacha. This war lasted until 1718 when a Chitimacha Chief met Bienville in the fledgling city of New Orleans. A treaty establishing peace was signed and a ceremony was held, which ended the long war in which the majority of the tribal members were annihilated. In the twelve years of conflict, many Chitimacha were forced into slavery and were the most enslaved of any population in Louisiana during that time period.
As a result of the war, population centers located along Bayou Lafouche, then called the River of the Chitimacha, and those farther to the east, were pushed to the south and to the west.
Chitimacha retreated across the Atchafalaya Basin to population centers of their nation located along Grand Lake and the Bayou Teche. This area is where the tribe remains today.
After peace was established, the French and later the Spanish and American Governments officially recognized the integrity of the Chitimacha Tribe and its right to land ownership. After Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory, the Chitimacha lands, which were widely spread across what is today southern Louisiana, were provided protection through the Indian Nonintercourse Act, which has been codified as U.S.C. Title 25. However, the United States Government, anxious to distribute unclaimed lands, injudiciously processed land claims from the preceding French and Spanish Governments. In 1826, the Chitimacha claimed eighty arpents front and forty deep on either side of the Bayou Teche, totaling approximately 5440 acres when converted from arpents at the .85 conversation rate.
In 1916, the Chitimacha Tribe was federally recognized by the United States Government. During most of this time the tribe was governed in the traditional manner, by a Chief. However, on November 7, 1970, the General Council of the Chitimacha People voted to adopt a constitutional form of government, which was approved by the Secretary of the Interior on January 14, 1971 and has been in force since that time. The Chitimacha Tribal Constitution provides for residence on trust lands, membership criteria, and most importantly for governance of tribal affairs, though a five member Tribal Council. The chief executive of the Chitimacha tribe is the Tribal Chairman. The Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana was the first Louisiana tribe to adopt a constitution.
In the last several decades the Chitimacha Tribe has excelled, from owning and operating an exceptional Tribal school and Early Learning Center to owning and operating an award winning gaming and entertainment complex, the first land based casino in Louisiana. Today the tribe has many enterprises, which include, Cypress Bayou Casino and Hotel, Raintree Market (a full service grocery market), Raintree Village (a master plan development property), Keta (a holding company), Tiya Support Services (a governmental contracting company), Colorado Professional Resources (a technical support company that supports U.S. Department of Defense agencies), and Tiya Construction Services (a construction entity). In addition, the tribal government has its own police department, fire department, health clinic, pharmacy, museum, cultural/historic preservation office, elderly assisted living facility, housing program, scholarship program, etc. Revenue has allowed the tribe to operate these programs and also to purchase land in the surrounding area, which at one time was held by the tribe. The tribe is the second largest employer in St. Mary Parish and contributes economically to the parish via tax revenue, which supports parish entities.
The Chitimacha still exert a strong presence. The tribe leads by example in intertribal organizations such as the United South and Eastern Tribes. They are constantly upgrading social and emergency services to tribal members and others in the vicinity of Charenton; and they are leaders in the preservation of cultural resources for future generations. The most recent, noteworthy preservation accomplishment is the completion of the Rosetta Stone Software language project which has enabled all interested tribal members to learn Sitimaxa, regardless of where they live. Tribal enrollment today is approximately 1,300, the majority live in Louisiana; others live in other states and around the globe.
Madoc (also known as Prince Madoc or Madog ab Owain Gwynedd) is a figure who appears in various versions of a legend, dating back to the sixteenth century, that center on supposed Welsh voyages to North America around 1170. According to one popular version of the legend, DeSoto Falls Madoc, alleged to be a Welsh prince, landed near the site of present-day Fort Morgan on Mobile Bay and established a Welsh colony more than three centuries before Columbus's first voyage in 1492. Additionally, the "Welsh Caves," located beneath DeSoto Falls in Mentone, DeKalb County, contain evidence of human habitation that many of the legend's believers claim to have been left by him and his followers. General consensus among scholars and professional archaeologists, however, rejects this and other versions of the Madoc story as highly implausible, if not impossible.
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