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5th Annual Munsee Language and History Symposium

Reconnecting with Lunaape Land, Language and History

The symposium begins with a day at Princeton Public Library focusing on “Lunaape Books” and “Local Histories." Registration required for in person and virtual attendance.

This event continues and deepens ongoing relationships with Lunaapeewak from Munsee-speaking tribal nations as they gather on their own traditional territory, Lunaapahkiing, with students, staff, fellows, and faculty from Princeton and IAS. This year’s theme is “Reconnecting with Lunaape Land, Language, and History.” The 2025 symposium sessions take place: Oct. 16: Princeton Public Library; Oct. 17: American Museum of Natural History, New York City; Oct. 18: The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), Princeton, and The Seed Farm at Princeton.

For details about the three-day event, see the webpage hosted by Princeton University's Effron Center for the Study of America. 

Sessions hosted at the library on Oct. 16 are open to the public:

9 a.m. - Formal Opening

9:30 a.m.-noon - Session 1: “Community Updates from Language Keepers” 

• Velma Noah-Nicholas (Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit)
• Ian McCallum (Munsee-Delaware Nation)
• Kristin Jacobs (Eelunaapeewi Lahkeewiit)
• Nikole Pecore (Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians) 

Noon - 2 p.m. - Break

2-3:30 p.m. - Session 2: "Lunaape Books” 

• Ian McCallum and Kasimir Chupik-Hall on their forthcoming graphic novel on Arnold Logan
• Mary Jane McCallum on her recently published "Brown Tom’s School Days," by Enos Montour 
• John Nicholas (Munsee-Delaware Nation) on his parents’ book "Cry of the Ancients"
• John Moses (Delaware and Upper Mohawk bands, Six Nations of the Grand River Territory), “A Six Nations Delaware Literary History”

3:30-4 p.m. - Coffee Break

4-5:30 p.m. - Session 3: "Local Lunaape Histories" 

• Eve Mandel (Historical Society of Princeton), an overview of the Historical Society of Princeton’s Native American initiatives
• Claire Garland (Sand Hill / Navesink) on the new Minisink Trail markers
• Meg Nicholas (Munsee-Delaware Nation / American Folklife Center, Library of Congress), an exploration of the folkloric approach to cultural resources and community history, using examples from the Library of Congress and other archives
• Paul Ligati, with Achutan Raghushri (West Windsor Historical Society), on the Moses Tunda Tatamy Trail

5:30 p.m. - End of Symposium, Day 1.

For questions about the event, contact Suzanne Conklin Akbari at: sakbari@ias.edu

Presented by the Effron Center for the Study of America, Princeton University and co-sponsored by the Princeton University Office of the Provost, Program for Community-Engaged Scholarship (ProCES), Program in Linguistics, SPIA in NJ, and The Seed Farm at Princeton; Princeton Public Library; the American Museum of Natural History; and the School of Historical Studies and the Jonathan M. Nelson Center for Collaborative Research at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton.

Presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Community Room Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Assistive listening system compatible with personal T-coil-enabled devices (compatible headphones also available for use during programs)
• English-language subtitles for films (when available)
• If there is an accommodation that you need or would like so that you can fully enjoy library programs, please visit our Accommodations Request Form.

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