March 14, 2009 Abigail Seldin: "Flying with the Fourth Crow: A
Reflection on Curating 'Fulfilling a
Prophecy'"
The desire to mount an exhibit on the Lenape
came out of the Native Voices program of the Penn Museum, as well as
the substantial Lenape collection of the Museum. The exhibit
found its true focus when Professor Robert Preucel was surprised to
receive a request from the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania to borrow a
traditional paddle for a ceremony, as the academic community has
maintained that no Lenape remained in Pennsylvania by the close of the
18th century. Ms. Seldin, a curator of the planned exhibit, accompanied
Dr. Pruecel, Keeper Lucy Fowler Williams, and Associate Keeper William
Wierzbowski of the American Section to deliver this paddle to the
Lenape group, in the Pocono Mountains. While she was there,
members of the Lenape Nation shared some of their history with Ms.
Seldin. Once the undisputed lords of southeastern Pennsylvania, the
Lenape disappear from the state history after their forcible removal
westward in the 1700s. Recently, the direct descendants of Lenape women
who intermarried with German settlers have made themselves known as the
true inhabitants of Lenapehocking, the Lenape homelands. These
Lenape-Germans have kept their ancestry a well-guarded secret, fearing
the persecutions suffered by their contemporaries in the American
Indian community. Yet, for more than two hundred years, the members of
this lineage have faithfully upheld their Native traditions. Their
history fascinated Ms. Seldin, who later met with the Tribal Council
and asked for permission to research and set up an exhibit based on
their experiences. Chief Robert Red Hawk Ruth and the others readily
agreed. Chief Ruth and Shelley DePaul, then Tribal Secretary,
joined Seldin as Co-Curators of the exhibit, and other Lenape elders
agreed to serve in an advisory capacity. The extraordinary stories of
these Lenape-German women and their families are being shared for the
first time in the exhibition. Fulfilling a Prophecy is one of
first exhibits to be co-curated by an anthropologist together with
Native American representatives in the United States.
The curators chose to
tell the story of the Lenape in Pennsylvania through The Prophecy
of the Fourth Crow, as told by Robert Red Hawk Ruth, an ancient story
passed down among the Lenape for generations:
Long ago it was said that a fox will be loosened on the earth. Also it
was said four crows will come.
The first crow flew the way of harmony with Creator. The second crow
tried to clean the world, but he became sick and he died. The third
crow saw his dead brother and he hid. The fourth crow flew the way of
harmony again with Creator. Caretakers they will live together on the
earth. Chief Red Hawk summarized the current interpretation of the
Prophecy in the following way: The First Crow was the Lenape
before the coming of the Europeans. The Second Crow symbolized the
death and destruction of their culture. The Third Crow was the people
going underground and hiding. The Fourth Crow was the Lenape becoming
caretakers again and working with everybody to restore this land.
Each section of the exhibit represents one of these stages, and the
display objects come from the collections and archives of the Museum,
and from the households of members of the Lenape Nation of
Pennsylvania.
Following her introductory talk, society members accompanied Ms. Seldin
on a tour of the exhibit, where the prophecy was retold with Lenape
artifacts, maps, and examples of handiwork of the hidden Lenape, A
simple turkey track stitch, a mark on a fence post could serve to
identify Lenape heritage to those who knew what to look for. Most
poignant was the hand stitched doll, with a second face, hidden from
view: a message from grandmother to granddaughter that their heritage
must remain secret. The final section was most encouraging, displaying
the Treaty of the Renewed Brotherhood and evidence of the revival of
the Lenape language and cultural traditions among the Lenape of
Lenapehoking. The exhibit will be on display until October, 2010. Be
sure to visit it!
Abigail Seldin will graduate in May from the University of Pennsylvania
with both a bachelors and a masters degree in anthropology. Recently
awarded a Rhodes Scholarship, she will begin her studies at the Oxford
University Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology in the fall.
While at the University of Pennsylvania, Seldin co-curated the exhibit
Fulfilling a Prophecy: The Past and Present of the Lenape in
Pennsylvania. The exhibit received significant local and national media
attention, including major stories in The Philadelphia Inquirer, Indian
Country Today, syndicated articles by Reuters and the Associated Press,
and segments on Philadelphia’s ABC affiliate, WRTI-FM Radio, as well as
various other TV and radio stations. Ms. Seldin has had extensive prior
curatorial experience, having served as a Student Co-Curator of
University of Pennsylvania Museum: 120 Years Old in 2007, and
Trouble in Paradise: The Art of Polynesian Warfare, at the Penn Museum,
and as a Curator of Pecos Pueblo: Crossroads of Culture, a
permanent exhibition at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology.
Andover, MA. Ms. Seldin has participated in archaeological field
projects in France, Egypt and the United States, and has published
articles in Cultural Survival Quarterly, Expedition Magazine, and The
Concord Review.
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