A historic Lenape tradition is returning to Prospect Park this weekend after decades away.
On Sept. 13 and 14, the park will host the United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow, its first intertribal gathering since 1972 and the second-ever Lenape Pow Wow in New York City.
The weekend welcomes indigenous Lenape communities back to their ancestral homeland and celebrates Lenape culture and heritage with dancing and music, food, art and artisan crafts.
“Reviving the Pow Wow tradition in Prospect Park provides the Lenape/Lunáapeew who were forced to relocate across the continent back to their ancestral homelands to reunite and celebrate, and offers Brooklynites of all backgrounds the chance to immerse themselves in the cultures of the original stewards of this land,” said Morgan Monaco, President of Prospect Park Alliance, in a statement.
The Lenape, also known as the Lunáapeew, are indigenous to New York City, and lived across the five boroughs — including in Brooklyn. Conflict with American settlers, war, and disease killed thousands, and the Lenape were eventually forced out of their homeland.
From 1916 to 1972, Prospect Park hosted regular intertribal Pow Wows, gatherings where Lenape/Lunáapeew gathered with neighboring tribes to socialize and celebrate. Now, the Prospect Park Alliance is working with the Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing Collective and the American Indian Community House to bring the tradition back.
“This Pow Wow serves as an educational message to the broader community, and a social and cultural message for us, the Lenape people,” said George Stonefish, founder of the EL Collective. “We want all to leave the Pow Wow with a deeper understanding about why we as contemporary Native Americans still follow our culture, practice our dances and share our songs today.”
The Pow Wow is a “crucial step in healing deep-seated wounds from our nation’s past,” Monaco said. The event is part of the Alliance’s ReImagine Lefferts program, which uses the historic Lefferts House to explore the lives and resilience of Indigenous peoples and the Africans later enslaved by the Lefferts family.
“This event holds significant cultural and historical importance, serving as a vibrant celebration of the rich traditions, heritage, and enduring spirit of the Lenape/Lunáapeew people,” said Patricia Tarrant, executive director of American Indian Community House, in a statement. “It is through such gatherings that we can build stronger, more inclusive communities that recognize and cherish the contributions of Native American cultures to our shared history.”
The Second United Lenape/Lunáapeew Nations Pow Wow takes place on Saturday, Sept. 13 and Sunday, Sept. 14 from 12-6 p.m. at the Prospect Park LeFrak Center, near the Parkside Avenue/Ocean Avenue entrance to Prospect Park. Admission is free, RSVP is encouraged.
