Jeremy Johnson, an educator with the Delaware Tribe of Indians, recently made a poignant pilgrimage to the banks of the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, reconnecting with the ancestral land of his people after more than two centuries. Born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, a region far removed from the tribe’s original homeland, Johnson’s journey symbolized a broader effort by the Delaware to restore ties to a territory once known as Lenapehoking. This area, spanning parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, was inhabited by the Lenape—now identified as the Delaware—whose history in the region dates back approximately 18,000 years.

The Delaware people were forcibly removed from Lenapehoking through a series of federal policies, broken treaties, and forced relocations that ultimately led them to Oklahoma. For Johnson and others in the tribe, the physical distance from their homeland has meant a loss of daily cultural connection to the land and environment their ancestors once knew intimately.

During his visit, Johnson knelt on the riverbank and immersed his hands in the flowing Delaware River, an act that was deeply emotional and symbolic. He noted that he was likely the first in his family in 250 years to touch those waters. Surrounding him were tulip trees, a species of particular cultural importance to the Delaware. Historically, his ancestors relied on these trees to craft dugout canoes from their massive trunks. Johnson reflected on the significance of the tree, revealing that despite its importance, he had never before seen a tulip tree in Oklahoma, where they do not grow naturally.

The visit underscored both a painful history of displacement and a profound sense of joy in reconnecting with the tribe’s heritage. Johnson described the experience not as one of sorrow but as one of hope and renewal. In the days following his trip, he was seen at the tribe’s headquarters in Bartlesville, where events such as powwow fundraisers continue to sustain cultural traditions far from Lenapehoking.

The Delaware Tribe’s efforts to restore and maintain their cultural identity highlight the enduring impact of historic displacements on Indigenous communities. While separated from their ancestral lands by centuries and thousands of miles, the tribe’s connection to Lenapehoking remains central to their identity, symbolized by landmarks like the Delaware River and the emblematic tulip trees. Johnson’s journey serves as a reminder of the ongoing relationship between land, culture, and collective memory for the Delaware people.