Lenape descent along the Delaware

Federal ties and family ties to be decided, By Anya Tikka Milford — It’s usually a constuction project that reminds us of the Native Americans whose lands we now inhabit. In Shohola, a Delaware River bridge project waited a year as archaeologists investigated a 2,000 year-old camp site. In Milford, school construction plans were dropped when evidence was revealed of a Native American burial ground on the site. The Sand Hill Band of the Lenni Lenape Indians - who once inhabited the whole of Lenapehoking, including portions of the states of New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania - are the only continuous and uninterrupted Lenape Tribal Government in New Jersey, said Ron Holloway, the chair of the Band. He’s working together with his father, Band Chief, Dr. Carroll Medicine Crow Holloway, and they both live in Milford, along with Ron’s son. The Sand Hills trace their line from the Brotherton Reservation in Burlington County to Monmouth County on New Jersey Shore, and on to Sussex and Passaic Counties. “We consist of 14 families,” said Ron. The names of the families are listed on www.sandhillindiansnj.org, and Holloway, Richardson, and Revey are among the fourteen. The natives who migrated to Monmouth County in 1800’s were a mixture of the Lenni Lenapes from Burlington County area, and Cherokees who had migrated and integrated with them from Virginia in the 1700’s. They further intermarried with the local Monmouth County Lenni Lenapes to produce the Sand Hill Band. A ‘significant’ portion of the Sand Hills later migrated further north to Passaic and Sussex Counties, according to their Web site. The family names whose members live in Sussex County listed on their Web site are: Davis, Holloway, Myer, and Wolfe. “The former chief called me back from California as the most qualified person to organize the application for Bureau of Indian Affairs for Federal reorganization,” said Ron. Medicine Crow was called back likewise from Australia for the benefit of the tribe. “The tribe needed me,” said Medicine Crow. The Band is in the process of changing status from unsupervised to supervised, which in practice means giving up some of their sovereignty in exchange for the federal government’s taking over their assets and managing them on their behalf. “It means health care, etc for our people,” said Ron. It appears that the legitimacy of the Band is not questioned. However, discord has risen among the family members of the tribe, some of whom claim to be the only legitimate representatives of the Sand Hills. Neptune, N.J. resident Claire Garland, of the Richardson family, contends that she alone with her close family members are the true Sand Hills, and that the rest of the band are all impostors, not eligible to use the name. “She’s a Sand Hill, just like the rest of us,” said Medicine Crow. “She’s been invited to join.” Most of the Richardson family, one of the fourteen, are card carrying members of the Band,” said Ron. “It’s kind of an internal family argument especially since 50% of our tribe is composed of that family strain... We as a large family have chosen not to be hostile toward her but slowly try to heal old family wounds which as you know in family can take a little time. So yes she is and yes we are [Sand Hill] as the tribe is made up of 14 families.” he said. “We’re the ones sitting on the Federal bodies and we were the ones that the Dutch Collegiate Church offered its apologies.” Ron concluded.

On the record
Documenting ancient native bloodlines can be difficult due to migrations, persecution and the traditional resistance of the Indians to be documented.
However, according to annual report of the Smithsonian Institution, 1948, “The Sand Hill Band is the “only” recorded Delaware Tribe indigenous to New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”
Additionally, the New Jersey Indian Office and the records of past Band chairman, James Revey indicate that the tribe has been in existence prior to 1711, according to their Web site.
The Web site 500nations.com/tribes/Tribes_States.asp lists the Sand Hills as having Federal Recognition, and also says they have state recognition by New Jersey.