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Nanticoke Traditions Still Run Deep in Southern Delaware

January 18, 2017

In several past blog entries here on theoldfathergroup.com, we’ve mentioned the first European settlement in Sussex County, founded in 1631. It was in Lewes and it was a whaling colony begun by explorers from the Netherlands.

But one thing we haven’t discussed yet is the people who were here long before men from Europe arrived on the scene, and that’s what we’re going to address here today in our latest historical blog post.

If you were born and raised in southern Delaware, or if you’ve been here for even a few years, you’ve no doubt heard the name of the Nanticoke Indian Tribe. With Delmarva’s longest tributary to the Chesapeake Bay, one of the area’s most prominent medical centers and a well-attended local museum all named after the tribe, it would be hard not to.

But today, we’re going to share some of the tribe’s history with you, a history we think you’ll find very interesting and informative.

So, let’s get right to it, shall we?

Years ago, there were young performers from the Nanticoke Indian Tribe who built their public appearances around a simple message – “we are still here.”

Indeed, Delaware’s only legally recognized Native American tribe still exists in Sussex County, and it’s still as strong as it ever was.

After years of mingling with other cultures, however, many Nanticoke Indian children don’t look as they once did. But they are still here in big numbers, and they go to great lengths to make sure their voices are still heard.

Dating back to well before the “white man” arrived in North America, the Nanticoke Indians have a rich history in the lands of both Maryland and Delaware, a history that's filled with colorful stories, proud traditions and larger than life characters.

At many of today’s well known events in Sussex County – from the Apple Scrapple festival in Bridgeville to the Nanticoke Riverfest in Seaford and many more – you'll see members of the Nanticoke Tribe performing Native American dances, dressed in colorful regalia uniquely their own. 

In fact, they welcome the opportunity to introduce their customs to residents of and visitors to southern Delaware.

The first known contact the Kuskarawaoks ― the early name of the tribe ― had with men from Europe came in 1608 while English Captain John Smith was exploring the Chesapeake Bay and its many tributaries. 

Translated to “people of the tidewater,” the Nanticokes were excellent farmers and hunters who lived off the land. They had five growing seasons, which included, in Native American terms:

  • the budding of spring
  • the earring of corn
  • the highest sun
  • the corn gathering or falling of the leaf
  • “cohonk,” or winter

During the planting seasons, members of the tribe focused on crops of corn, beans, squash, pumpkin, sunflowers and tobacco. Even the children got involved in the cultivation of crops, often weeding the gardens and acting as “live scarecrows,” sitting on high platforms and making noises to scare birds away.

Read the rest of our story about Sussex County’s Nanticoke Indian Tribe HERE.

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