ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION No. 165

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

208th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED MARCH 18, 1999

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman JOHN C. GIBSON

District 1 (Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland)

Assemblyman NICHOLAS ASSELTA

District 1 (Cape May, Atlantic and Cumberland)

SYNOPSIS

Designates the Kechemeche Tribe as native to New Jersey.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

As introduced.

An Assembly Resolution designating the Kechemeche Tribe of the Lenni-Lenape nation as native to New Jersey.

Whereas, The Kechemeche Tribe of the Lenni-Lenape nation desire to be designated by the State of New Jersey as native to New Jersey; and

Whereas, When Dutch explorer, Lieutenant Robert Evelyn, visited southern New Jersey in 1634, he enumerated nine separate Indian communities, including the Kechemeches; and

Whereas, According to Lieutenant Evelyn's account, the Kechemeche Band numbered approximately 50 men in 1634, living peacefully along the shores of New Jersey, near what is currently Cape May; and

Whereas, The Kechemeche band was part of several other bands that were the Unalachtigo people or the "people who live near the ocean"; and

Whereas, After time, the decrease in the numbers of Unalachtigo people led to their merger with the Unami people or "people from down the river"; and

Whereas, Throughout the second half of the seventeenth century, the European population steadily increased on the Unami people's lands bringing with it deadly European diseases, such as smallpox, that caused the deaths of many Indians; and

Whereas, These diseases, along with population pressure and ecological changes to the lands from European farming and livestock, led to a sharp decline in the Unami population in New Jersey; and

Whereas, By the middle of the eighteenth century, many of the Unamis along with their northern counterparts, the Minsiu people or "people of the stony country," moved west after they were displaced and had traded the land they called home to the European settlers; and

Whereas, Many native New Jersey Indians moved to New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio and continued westward as their land was continually taken from them by the European settlers; and

Whereas, Some of the native New Jersey Indians did not move west but remained at home attempting to co-exist with their European neighbors; and

Whereas, The man, who some refer to as the King of the Kechemeches, King Nummis, remained at his ancestral homeland near Cape May, raising the children of his deceased sister, Sunflower; and

Whereas, The community established by King Nummis became know as Nummytown, now a part of Middle Township in Cape May County, and still referred to as Nummytown; and

Whereas, Ancestors of King Nummis and his sister, still live in the Cape May area and throughout the nation and many of the surviving members constitute the approximately 170 members of what is now referred to as the Kechemeche Tribe; and

Whereas, The members of the Kechemeche Tribe meet annually in the State to explore their heritage, educate their youth on the culture and history of the Kechemeches and hold sacred ceremonies, such as naming ceremonies, women's rights ceremonies, and men's rights ceremonies; and

Whereas, The spiritual leader of the Kechemeche Tribe, White Eagle, retains the oral traditions of the Tribe, including fluency in the native dialect; and

Whereas, The members of the Kechemeche Tribe wish to educate and share the history and knowledge of their people with the rest of Cape May, the State and the nation through a cultural and educational center; and

Whereas, It is proper and fitting for this House to designate the Kechemeche Tribe of the Lenni-Lenape nation as native to New Jersey; now, therefore,

Be It Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. The Kechemeche Tribe of the Lenni-Lenape nation is hereby declared native to New Jersey.

2. Duly authenticated copies of this resolution signed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and attested by the Clerk thereof, shall be forwarded to Chief White Eagle, leader of the Kechemeche Tribe, each member of the New Jersey Commission on American Indian Affairs, and the Governor of the State.

STATEMENT

This resolution would recognize the Kechemeche Tribe of the Lenni-Lenape nation as native to New Jersey. The current members of the Kechemeche Tribe are descendants of the persons who lived in what is now the Cape May area of New Jersey before the European settlers arrived. Many of the original Kechemeches moved from New Jersey after diseases, population pressure, and ecological changes to the lands from European farming and livestock led to a sharp decline in their population in New Jersey. However, King Nummis of the Kechemeche Band stayed in the Cape May area raising his sister's children in a community that still carries his name, Nummytown. Descendants of King Nummis now constitute many of the approximately 170 active members of the current Kechemeche Tribe. It is the desire of the Tribe to share the culture of the Kechemeches with the rest of Cape May, the State and the nation. The Tribe wishes to build a cultural and educational center through which State residents can learn the tradition of Indian life.