Meesing mask (ca. 1800), passed down in Chief Robert Red Hawk Ruth’s family, which is used in the annual ceremony for important Lenape spirit Meesing. (Photo by Abby Seldin)

Fulfilling a Prophecy: The Past and Present of the Lenape in Pennsylvania
September 13, 2008 - September 30, 2009

Once the undisputed lords of southeastern Pennsylvania, the Lenape Indians largely disappeared from the state's history after their forced migration westward in the 1700s to their current locations in Oklahoma, Kansas, Ohio, Indiana, and other parts of the United States and Canada. Although the academic community and some members of the Western Lenape communities maintain that no Lenape remained in Pennsylvania at the close of the 18th century, their position is belied by the existence of direct descendants of Lenape people who chose to stay in Pennsylvania. Though some of these Lenape people intermarried with European settlers, members of this lineage have secretly upheld their Native traditions and identity for more than two hundred years. This exhibition, organized by Penn Museum together with the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, features more than 60 objects from the private collections of Lenape people in Pennsylvania, and about a dozen, largely archaeological objects, from the collections of Penn Museum. Ancient masks, dolls, jewelry, and other traditional arts will be featured, as well as a number of once-secret family heirlooms, rich with hidden Lenape symbolism, dating from the early 19th century. The exhibit also addresses the activities and aspirations of the Lenape of Pennsylvania today, as members of the community speak out through a short video. Second floor.

Read more about Anthropology junior Abby Seldin, curator of the exhibit>>