The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is now accepting applications for its IMPACT! Grant program. The grants range from $2,500 to $12,000 and will be awarded to municipalities, not-for-profits with a 501(c)(3) designation, and federally-recognized Native American tribes within the boundaries of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Grants Available for Native Nations
Native American History
Long Island Indigenous History & Art Virtual Exhibit
Preservation Long Island has announced a new virtual exhibition, Indigenous History & Art at Good Little Water Place, beginning September 3, 2020.
The exhibit features artwork from nine contemporary Indigenous artists, offering a look at the history and on-going relations between Indigenous people and land. [Read more…] about Long Island Indigenous History & Art Virtual Exhibit
A New Hudson River Historic Fiction: Tail Feather
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
The new novel Tail Feather: Adventures of a Mohawk Paddler on the River-That-Flows-Two-Ways (2020) by Ray E. Phillips delivers the audience to turbulent times archaeologists call the “contact period,” the time of first encounters between indigenous people of the Americas and European explorers, traders, and settlers.
The story embraces a sweeping panorama off the Hudson River from Lake-Tear-of-the-Clouds in the Adirondacks the Manhattan Island. [Read more…] about A New Hudson River Historic Fiction: Tail Feather
The Death of Jane McCrea: Fact and Fiction
What could be more symbolic of British imperial domination, immorality, and unfettered disrespect for human life than the murder of Jane McCrea at the hands of British-allied Indians near Fort Edward, NY, on July 26, 1777?
Word spread fast, and McCrea’s slaying excited legion numbers of patriotic American militia to seek righteous revenge against the sinister “savages” and General John Burgoyne. Burgoyne could later reflect upon this sad event as the beginning of the end of his sinister, failed military expedition.
At least, this is what authors, enthusiasts, and yes — even historians — have led us to believe for centuries. [Read more…] about The Death of Jane McCrea: Fact and Fiction
Apaches in Paris and New York
In 1912, investigative journalist Alfred Henry Lewis published The Apaches of New York, an anecdotal narrative of notorious gangs in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
What strikes here is the use of the word “apache” in the sense of urban gangster. The term was re-imported from French slang in reference to thugs that roamed the eastern districts (“faubourgs”) of Paris prior to the First World War. [Read more…] about Apaches in Paris and New York
Kieft’s War Against Native People: A Primer
The series of conflicts known as Kieft’s War (1643-1645) owe their origins to several factors.
Primary among these was the Dutch inability to understand the concepts of land use among native people. When the Dutch gave wampum, muskets, and other trade goods during land negotiations, they believed they were purchasing the land. Native people however, considered the Dutch to have, at best, leased the land. Convinced they had purchased the land in and around Manhattan, Dutch settlers drew ever closer to Native American villages. And, when Native Americans hunted on the ground the Dutch believed they had purchased, the New Netherlanders sought to punish the offenders. [Read more…] about Kieft’s War Against Native People: A Primer
Prehistoric North America (Historians Podcast)
This week on The Historians Podcast, archaeologists Kathleen O’Neal Gear and her husband W. Michael Gear. The Gears have written over 60 novels about prehistoric North America. Their latest book, set in what is now Utah, is People of the Canyons. [Read more…] about Prehistoric North America (Historians Podcast)
NY Natives: Joseph Shauquethqueat’s Joe Pye Weed
June 22-28 is National Pollinator Week and one of New York State’s important pollinator friendly species is Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium spp.), a native essential for any garden seeking to attract and help pollinators.
According to legend, Joe Pye was a Native American herbalist who used local plants to cure a variety of illnesses including typhoid fever. For years, it was unknown if Joe Pye was a real person or a botanical myth, that is until research confirmed the plant’s name originated from the nickname of Joseph Shauquethqueat, a Mohican chief who lived in Massachusetts and New York in the 18th and early 19th centuries. [Read more…] about NY Natives: Joseph Shauquethqueat’s Joe Pye Weed
Iroquois Indian Museum Cancels All 2020 Special Events
In response to COVID-19 and in the interest of public health, The Iroquois Indian Museum in Howes Cave, Schoharie County, NY, has announced they are cancelling all special events for 2020. [Read more…] about Iroquois Indian Museum Cancels All 2020 Special Events
A New Novel of Survival During the Revolution
Based on a true story, Craig Pennington’s new novel West of the Alleghenies: A Story of Survival during the Revolutionary War (Self-Published, 2020) is the epic tale of one man’s struggle to survive in a war-torn land and return to the woman he loves. [Read more…] about A New Novel of Survival During the Revolution