Nanticoke Natives: The Colonization of a Community and Culture

History of the Nanticoke people of Delaware

DELAWARE – The Nanticoke people of Delaware take pride in their traditions and in their beliefs. Sadly, there was a time when they weren’t allowed to do so.

History

“Nanticoke means people of the tide water– which is very fitting for us, because we always resided on the eastern shore. So, we actually started in the state of Virgina and Maryland. and migrated to the state of Delaware. we were known as great hunters and fisherman.” Tribal Assistant Chief Farrah Norwood Stigall, describes life for native people pre- colonialism. “If you were not white, it didn’t matter what race or ethnicity you were, you were considered a person of color.”

Religion

Tribal Leader and Spiritual Advisor, Herman Jackson says, native people were self-sufficient and originally lived on the Nanticoke River in Laurel, Vienna, and Seaford. “When the Europeans come over a lot of people left, and we had to more or less assimilate. Blend In.”  Despite the fact the natives tried to adopt European customs, according to Herman, they were banned from practicing many of their own. “In about 1890s, they [Europeans] got scared the forbid the native Americans to do ceremony anything gathering, they stripped us of all of that… Before the Europeans come over, all tribes we Had one great spirit. We only had one. Just like the Europeans had one God. Our religions really parallel with each other, but the Europeans didn’t see it because we called it by a different name… Europeans go in 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 many 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 gun powder to a person of color. He sold it to his relative, Isaiah Harmon, who was also of the Nanticoke tribe. This ‘crime’ was significant because just 25 years earlier was the Nat Turner Rebellion, and white people were anxious about colored people having access to ammunition. Assistant Chief Stigall is his direct descendant and remembers hearing the stories of her Great-great-great-grandfather growing up. “It was illegal in that time, for you sell any kind of gun powder or firearm to a person of color,” she says.

Educational Hurdles

Unfortunately, this was just one of many forms of racism the Nanticoke people faced. They experienced ethnic erasure and currently face issues like cultural appropriation, incorrect identification, and historical errors. “In 1875, Delaware passed a school tax. So, even though our kids weren’t allowed to attend school, because they weren’t allowed to attend school with whites, we still had to pay that tax.” Farrah Stigall also informs us that the Nanticoke Museum was also an institution of learning, when there was none.

Putting the Pieces Together

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

Teaching Future Generations

Looking to the future of the tribe, The Nanticoke people would like to see their history acknowledged and respected. Herman Jackson wants more school systems to get on board with introducing the history into curriculum. “It’s a shame it’s not taught in schools the right way… Teach more of native American history because you don’t have no U.S. history without Native American history. And be honest about it, that all, be honest. Europeans took land that’s a fact. So, teach it!”

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