Eastern Delaware Nations Art

Eastern Delaware Nations Artwork

Eastern Delaware Nations members shared information with community members at EDN's exhibit at a recent Pennsylvania Heritage Festival in Troy PA.

Art projects displayed at the Heritage Festival included a large, six-panel mural entitled 'Elan Kumankw' - Pronounced EElan-Koomonqua, it means 'We are all related'.

Also exhibited were EDN's 'Storypoles,' created by EDN members participating in Totem Rhythms, a project focused on American Indian culture and heritage. EDN's storypoles were exhibited during "Indigenous Peoples Celebration" at the United Nations in NYC, in May 2002. Colorful silk banners made by EDN members were featured in the same UN exhibit.

'Elan Kumankw' depicts regional American indian history and symbolism.

The Walum Olum, a pictographic chronicle of the Delaware Indians, is featured at the top and bottom of the panels. Seventy-five artists contributed to the painting.

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Detail
from two
Silk
Banners

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	Dance also expresses our culture and heritage. A Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant funded bringing Vickie Shenandoah and her sons, (Oneida) to Forksville Pow-wow in 2006 to teach Stomp Dance. They taught many other dances to EDN dancers and the public, including a dance the Delaware people in this region once knew but was no longer commonly known among our people. Learning these dances revived a significant piece of our cultural heritage. Some EDN members are learning to speak a language once spoken by Delaware peoples. Others preserve a patios developed locally among Indian people.
Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and Pennsylvania Humanities Council grants funded creation of a fabric banner honoring EDN's past and present. The banner was unveiled at a celebration in 2005 in Towanda PA. Photos of parents and grandparents of EDN members, their own pictures, and those of their children and grandchildren are featured on the banner. Symbols of cultural importance are also illustrated. The banner is displayed at most EDN functions and events.
	MURAL - The Elan Kumankw mural was created through a project of Eastern Delaware Nations. It was exhibited at the United Nations in New York City, at many colleges, universities and other venues in northeastern United States. A print encompassing all six panels is available for $30.00 (includes shipping and handling.) Send name, address for shipping, and a check for $30.00 made out to Eastern Delaware Nations to: John Taffe, EDN Treasurer RR 4, Box 4366 Dushore PA 18614 Back to top