Commonwealth Speakers:Native Americans
Carla Messinger is founder and former executive director of the Lenni Lenape Historical Society and Museum of Indian Culture in Allentown, PA.
At the time of Columbus, as many as 10 million Native Americans lived in North America. Many thousands lived in "Lenapehoking," the vast homeland of the Lenni Lenape, the first inhabitants of eastern Pennsylvania and parts of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. Admired and respected by William Penn, the Lenape were later betrayed and forced from their villages by the policies of Penn's grandsons and the infamous Walking Purchase. Carla Messinger, a Lenape descendant, presents the life and times, the language and social customs of the Lenape.
Three display tables required.
Carla J.S. Messinger, Director, Native American Heritage Programs, Allentown
Carla Messinger presents three diverse Native American cultures that once thrived in the eastern woodlands of Pennsylvania, in the southwest, and along the northwest coast of the United States. She focuses on the many and surprising contributions Native Americans have made to our national life and explores the myths and stereotypes that have shaped our perceptions and portrayals of, and policies toward, the "first people."
Three display tables required.
Carla J.S. Messinger, Director, Native American Heritage Programs, Allentown
In 1754, a young officer of the Virginia militia named George Washington led an attack on French forces camped just outside of present-day Uniontown. That attack ignited a world-wide war between France and England. Through it all, the Pennsylvania frontier remained a critical battleground, for whoever ended up in control of the Forks of the Ohio "modern-day Pittsburgh" would control the vast interior of North America. Alan Irvine discusses the history of this war in Pennsylvania, recreating the pivotal moments, and bringing key players to life.
Projection screen required.
Alan Irvine, Professional Storyteller and Visiting Professor of Sociology,
University of Pittsburgh
In this slide-illustrated lecture, Barry Kent examines the nature and results of the contact and clash between Europeans and native people in what was to become Pennsylvania. He reviews the archaeological research and then intertwines that with the history of Indian and European interaction from the late 15th century to the Conestoga massacre of 1763.
Slide projector and screen required.
Barry Kent, Ph.D., Independent Scholar, York
What most of us know of Pennsylvania's culture heritage is just the tip of the iceberg. Native peoples lived here for at least 12,000 years before the first Europeans arrived. In this slide-illustrated presentation, Barry Kent explores what life was like in Pennsylvania in the centuries and millennia before it became Pennsylvania.
Slide projector and screen required.
Barry Kent, Ph.D., Independent Scholar, York
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