The holidays are approaching and winter is drawing near. At this time, most of us are planning and preparing feasts for family and friends. As we welcome

Lee Hallman, Native American artifact collector from Marl- borough Township, demonstrates the use of natural eating   utensils. The vessel pictured is a 1,000 old piece of pottery.  Turtle shells were used as bowls and dippers.

in the season, let's remember the roots of Pennsylvania heritage and the indigenous people that inhabited the region before colonialism.

            Pennsylvania was rich in flora and fauna. The natural world sustained the Lenni Lenape and created a toughness and resiliency within them.

            Growing up in our region, Lenni Lenape is an appellation you probably would have heard or read.  The Lenni Lenape name is translated to mean original, or pure man. In their creation story, Lenape are the aboriginals of this region. The name Delaware is not a native First-Nations term. The name Delaware was given to a river in Virginia, after Thomas West Baron De La Warr, the first Governor of Virginia. Europeans began referring to the native people as the Delaware because they inhabited the area surrounding the Delaware River valley. 

            The area the Lenape inhabited was referred to as Lenapehoking. This region encompassed the Mid-Atlantic coastal areas of New Jersey, Southern New York,

Candace Perry, curator at the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center, Pennsburg, displays a collection of recently donated Native American artifacts which were found in Hereford Township.

Northern Delaware, Eastern Maryland, and Eastern Pennsylvania.  As the expansion of colonialism continued, the Lenape were pushed West and North from their homelands.  

            The Lenape practiced large scale agriculture to supplement what they hunted and gathered. The Lenape occupied campsites to seasonally access fish, birds, deer and other animals. They developed sophisticated hunting techniques and managed the natural resources that sustained them.

            Life was challenging and nature can be unforgiving.  Hunting, foraging and farming were necessary for existence and the Lenape developed unique skills in these areas to ensure survival.  They also had specific methods to store and prepare food. 

            During the growing season, the men prepared the land for cultivation. The woman tended to the growing of food, the gathering of medicine, wild edibles, and the preparation of food.  The men hunted to provide nutrient rich sources of protein. The primary plants of cultivation were a native variety of corn, squash and beans. In many native cultures, these plants are known as the "Sister" plants. They are companion plants and share a symbiotic relationship that ensures optimal growth.

            Other crops, such as tobacco, sunflowers, and pumpkins would also have been grown. 

            Foraged foods included, strawberries, raspberries, huckleberries, cranberries, blackberries, currents, gooseberries, plums, crab apples, grapes, onions, cabbage, water lily roots, mayapple, swamp potatoes, hazelnuts, hickory nuts, chestnuts, walnuts and acorns.  Many of these foods would be eaten daily. They would also be processed and stored for use in the fall and winter months.

            Beans would be dried and later boiled to eat. Corn was hung in clusters to dry in braided husks. Pumpkins, and other types of winter squash, along with berries, roots, fish and nuts were dehydrated in the summer sun and stored for later use. These foods were processed and stored in several ways. They were either processed and turned into flour, cut apart, boiled, or dried.

            Storage pits were a common storage method, as well as granaries, either attached, or located close to an inhabited shelter. Skin pouches, earthenware pots, bone, wood, or baskets were used as storage containers. 

            Corn hominy was a diet staple. It was prepared by boiling dried corn with wood ash. This process allowed the hulls to come off and kernels to swell and soften. The final process involved repeated washings in water to remove the wood, ash and lye. Dried corn would be ground into flour or meal to make bread or Sa'Pan - a cornmeal type mash similar to grits.

            Corn would often be grilled in the fire or boiled to be paired with fish, beans and vegetables. Berries and maple syrup were used as sweeteners. Nuts and seeds were easy to preserve and store. They were roasted shelled and placed in the ashes of a hot fire. After roasting, they would be ground with the shell intact and then boiled. The oil of the nut or seed would float to the surface and reserved in a separate container to be used for cooking or medicinal use. Pulverized bones were boiled in water allowing the collagen and fat to float to the top. This was also used for cooking and medicine.

            Bear fat was also rendered and used for cooking. It was usually stored in a skin pouch.  Meat from deer, bear and other animals were usually cut into thin strips and dehydrated in the sun or smoked over a hot fire to preserve it. The dried meat would be used in stews, soups or eaten as jerky.

            Food preparation required specific techniques and tools. The Lenape utilized a variety of materials. Tools were made from bone or stone. The material would be shaped and carved to suite a specific purpose. Bowls were made from bone, skulls, turtle shells, or carved from wood.  

            At one time, Pennsylvania was incredibly diverse in plants and animals. The Upper Perkiomen Valley was no exception. The European settlers were well aware of the indigenous people and owe a substantial amount of their understanding of regional landscape, plants, animals, and weather patterns to the Lenape nation. 

            It is now common to conveniently go to the grocery store. We hustle and bustle quickly grabbing what we need from fully stocked shelves. In the march of what is deemed progress, we have become detached from the earth, our food and the intense skilled labor that is required to produce food on a large scale.

             As we celebrate the season with good food, drink and loved ones, hold gratitude in your heart and mind for the bounty and blessings in our life.