Short film shares intimate portrait of today's Lenape people and journey toward healing
“We’re still here,” said Lenape Chief Chuck Gentlemoon DeMund.
In a documentary centered around healing past wounds and keeping a culture alive, DeMund said the “Keepers of the Way” gets to the heart of the Pennsylvania Lenape Nation’s fight for recognition.
“For us, for the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, currently we are in a struggle for our state recognition. We want people to know that, yes, there are members of our tribe that are separated throughout Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Canada, but there are also groups here in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey, he said.
“We don’t want to take our homelands away from anyone else — we just want it to be known that we aren’t going to be erased.”
On Sunday, “Keepers of the Way” will have its theatrical premier at The County Theater with two screenings, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and members of the Lenape Nation.
The 22-minute film follows tribe members as they embark on a deeply spiritual and emotional journey traveling along the Walking Purchase path and culminating with an intertribal ceremony to bring about healing and lift up a group of indigenous people who were stripped of their land.
“We were unbelievably overwhelmed with what happened to our ancestors and how it affected our people. Everyone is still trying to heal,” DeMund said.
Who was involved in the making of the film?
Director Evan Cohen and producer Elijah Lee Reeder, both Doylestown natives, collaborated with DeMund and other members of the Pennsylvania Lenape Nation to create the film.
“It started from this point of reverence and respect and gratitude towards indigenous people as a whole,” Cohen said. “We wanted to give the Lenape real space to tell their story and to be really intentional with checking our own agendas and showing up with respect and providing space for listening.”
Who are the Lenape?
The Pennsylvania Lenape Nation describes its people as “the original inhabitants of eastern Pennsylvania, southern New York, New Jersey and Southern Delaware” in a land known as Lenapehokink.
Following colonialization, members of the Lenape Nation were removed and dispersed throughout the country.
Those who remained in Pennsylvania are still fighting for recognition by the commonwealth, while the Lenape nations in Delaware and New Jersey have been recognized by those state governments.
More: Lost and found: A treaty promised Lenape Indians statehood for help in American Revolution
What is the Walking Purchase?
The Walking Purchase of 1737 cost the Lenape Nation 1,200-square miles of land east of the Delaware River from Wrightstown all the way up to what is now known as Jim Thorpe through a deceptive and fraudulent agreement with colonists.
What is the message behind ‘Keepers of the Way’?
The film serves as a platform for Lenape people of Pennsylvania — around 400 members — sharing their stories, as they work to keep their culture alive and protect the land.
“During my grandfather’s and my father’s time, you could not do any ceremonies publicly. You were in danger literally of being arrested and removed if you were doing your ancestral ceremonies. There were boarding schools and reservations and genocide. Part of that genocide is forced assimilation,” DeMund said.
“We’re trying to help people understand that we are still here, and we are willing to work with others on environmental causes. We need to start healing the earth.”
How to watch ‘Keepers of the Way’
Nov. 12: The County Theater, Doylestown
The County Theater, in Doylestown, will have two screenings of “Keepers of the Way” on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m, followed by a Q&A with the filmmakers and members of the Pennsylvania Lenape Nation. Fifty percent of all proceeds will go to the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania.
After the 2 p.m. show, there will be a post-film celebration at Puck, located a little over a block away on Printers Alley.
Tickets and passes will be available at: countytheater.org/films/keepers-of-the-way
Nov. 16: Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia
The Woodmere Art Museum in Philadelphia, in collaboration with Morris Arboretum & Gardens, is also hosting a screening on Nov. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Attendees will see examples of indigenous artwork, hear stories, be treated to drumming and singing by the Stone Dog Drum, hear Native perspectives on the Thanksgiving holiday, and participate in a moderated Q&A with the presenters.
Reserve your spot by registering online.
For more information
For more information on the film, visit topazcreative.com/keepers-of-the-way. And follow them on Instagram @topazcreative to keep up-to-date on where and how to watch the film.
More: When Pennsylvania was purging Indians, this Bucks municipality encouraged them not to leave
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Doylestown natives focus lens on Lenape Nation in short documentary
