Testimony of Rev. John Norwood

Before the New Jersey Committee on Native American Community

on Thursday, January 11, 2007

Gloucester County College Instructional Center - Room 430

My name is John Norwood, and I am Nanticoke-Lenape. I am honored to serve my people as a Tribal Councilman.  I have come tonight to speak about justice for the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe.

I would like to thank the members of this committee for allowing me to speak tonight.  I also extend words of gratitude to my tribal Chiefs, tribal Elders, tribal Councilpersons and all my relations for keeping our tribe alive and well. 

I am most of all grateful to the Creator for his grace and protective hand upon our ancestors whose sacrifices ensured our survival through twelve thousand years of history to this very day. 

In 1982, the Legislature of the State of New Jersey passed Concurrent Resolution no. 73, acknowledged our unbroken history and our continuing culture and recognized the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe. This resolution requested federal acknowledgement for our tribe and requested all of the federal benefits designated for American Indians be bestowed upon our people.  A state statute was passed in 1995 forming the New Jersey State Commission on American Indian Affairs, naming our tribe as one of the three with permanent seats on the commission.  And yet, since 2001, my people have suffered through interpretive ambiguities and direct attacks by some state officials regarding our tribal rights and status as American Indians.

We ask that New Jersey honor its promises to us.  There are artisans here whose ability to stamp their crafts as “Native American Made” has been called into question because of the actions of a few state officials.  Our tribal businesses which operate under the special privileges reserved for American Indians and Tribal Governments are being threatened because New Jersey suddenly got amnesia regarding its word to our people.  The bones of our ancestors are displayed, discarded and even sold like they mean nothing, and we have to beg for the right to protect their resting places or rebury them with honor.  Our people suffer at a high rate for many chronic diseases and are among the poorest in the state, but our tribe struggles to get state support in caring for our people.  Our children are racially misidentified in the schools and must sit through lessons that deny their very existence.  It is time that the governor and the legislature act in good faith toward us. 

The great fear about reaffirming our state recognition by statute is in reaction to a misunderstanding over Indian casino gaming.  However, these fears are unfounded. The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act specifically indicates that such activities are restricted to federally recognized tribes and only then when the tribe has established a compact with the state.  State support of tribal rights has nothing to do with gaming.  And even if it did, our tribe is prohibited from pursuing Indian gaming by our own tribal law.

Other states have taken steps that should inspire New Jersey’s government to realize that our requests are not unreasonable and not ever unprecedented.  The documents that I have submitted to you will show this to be true. 

  1. North Carolina passed legislation that acknowledged the tribal government of the Haliwa Saponi as having powers “similar to that of a state” so that the tribe could access funds available only to American Indian Tribes with such recognition, and they have been able to fund their own school, tribal lands, tribal office and other programming with the help of such support at the state level.
  1. The 2000 US Census indicated that Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Michigan all have State Indian Reservation Trust Lands.  With Virginia, New York, Massachusetts, and Connecticut having more than one reservation within the boundaries of the state. 
  1. Massachusetts and Georgia also have passed state Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Acts to ensure that the tribes within their states have the right to protect the graves of their ancestors.
  1. The Mashpee-Wompanoag of Massachusetts have had their fishing and gaming rights upheld with their tribal cards serving as the equivalent of hunting and fishing licenses.
  1. Alabama, North Carolina and Virginia provide authority to their state American Indian commissions to set the policies for the recognition of tribes within their state.
  1. Alabama even provides a $200,000 annual budget to their State Commission on American Indian Affairs in order to ensure that they can be adequately staffed.  That commission is even authorized to acquire property in the furtherance of its duties.
  1. Michigan and Massachusetts both provide tuition waivers to citizens of their American Indian Tribes to attend any state college or university.

Nothing we ask for is unprecedented.  Nothing we ask for is beyond the current scope of the rights of state recognized American Indian Tribes in other states.  Why do we have to beg for acknowledgement, respect, and tribal rights in New Jersey?

  1. Reaffirm our State Recognition and restore the protections and support we were promised.
  2. Establish a Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act, allowing us to protect the honor of the graves of our ancestors.
  1. Provide tuition waivers to NJ state colleges and universities for our tribal citizens.
  1. Restore our people’s hunting and fishing rights, which our tribe never signed away.
  1. Protect the rightful tax immunity of our tribal lands and restore more of those lands for our use in perpetuity. 
  1. Ban the derogatory and racist use of American Indian names and images by public schools and support our efforts to correctly educate the non-Native public about the original people of New Jersey.
  1. Become an ally in our struggle to fund our tribal center and programming, in our struggle to establish health, housing, and cultural initiatives.
  1. Become an ally in our struggle to educate our youth and care for our elders. 
  1. Become an ally in our struggle to honorably develop our economic horizons without violating our spiritual values. 

The state promised that it would be an ally, but sadly has all too often acted as an adversary.  I thank God that this governor and the members of this committee have determined that it is time to finally hear us and respond to us.

But, in spite of it all… in spite of the history of racism, lies, deceit and malice of our state and federal government…  he who Creates us, has indeed sustained us.  And, WE ARE STILL HERE!!

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