Expert on Delaware/Lenape culture to give free presentation at college

To celebrate Native American Heritage Month, East Stroudsburg University will welcome Curtis Zunigha, cultural director for the Delaware Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, to campus from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 18, in Beers Lecture Hall, 130 University Circle, East Stroudsburg.

Zunigha will offer a history talk and cultural program, which will include songs and dances and is free and open to the public. He is an expert on Delaware/Lenape culture, language, and traditional practices, and has more than 20 years of experience in tribal government, community development, and cultural preservation.
Zunigha is co-founder and co-director of The Lenape Center, based in New York City, which promotes the history and culture of the Lenape people (also known as Delaware Indians) through the arts, humanities, social identity, and environmental activism. (thelenapecenter.com). He is a veteran of the United States Air Force.

Zunigha is a member of the Council of Advisors to The Association on American Indian Affairs, a non-profit organization serving Indian Country for over 90 years to protect sovereignty, preserve culture, and educate youth. (indian-affairs.org)

Last year ESU announced a formal partnership with the Delaware Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, which moved its Eastern Tribal Historic Preservation Office to the ESU campus. This partnership enables collaboration between the tribe and the university’s students, faculty and staff to work with archaeologists, historians, and government agencies. It helps others learn from the long and proud legacy of Indian tribes in the region in way that supports existing programs and will lead to the development of new, interdisciplinary programs. The partnership also provides opportunities for undergraduate research and distance learning as well as the chance to share grant funding and provide student scholarships.