Longhouse to be focus of event at park

Marvin Davis of East Brunswick shows an Eastern Woodland Indian snowshoe among the items that will be on display at Thompson Park in Jamesburg Saturday. JAMESBURG — Area residents are invited to step back in history this Saturday and help members of Intertribal American Indians of New Jersey build a traditional native dwelling called a longhouse.

Longhouses, not tepees, were the type of homes favored by the natives in this region when the Europeans first arrived. The longhouse put up on Saturday in Thompson Park will include a display of Eastern Woodland Indian snowshoes, lacrosse sticks, baskets, dolls and other items

"They were called 'longhouse' by the Iroquois people, and 'big house' by the Delaware," said East Brunswick resident Marvin Davis, who grew up on the Six Nations Reserve in Canada and who is Mohawk and Delaware Indian.

"My mother's family migrated from this area about 200 years ago," he said, speaking about the Delaware side of his family tree.

One of the things that baffled Davis when he was learning about the history of American Indians in New Jersey was the term Leni-Lenape.

"In Delaware that means 'ordinary people.' That was the term other tribes gave to the Delaware people. It wasn't what they called themselves, which was First People," Davis said.

Davis noted that the Delaware and the Mohawk have a lot in common. They both followed a matriarchal system. Women were always respected and honored leaders, he said.

"When it comes to living arrangements, a woman, her sisters and their families would all live in one longhouse. A new groom would move in with them," he said.

Perhaps it's a good thing that Marvin Davis comes from a culture that is comfortable with female leaders, because his wife Brenda is president of Intertribal Indians of New Jersey.

Brenda, who is also from the Six Nations Reserve, grew up in a traditional family and expanded what she knew from experience by taking classes in Native American studies in college. She has dedicated the past 20 years to helping the public unlearn American Indian stereotypes.

She said she is very excited about the longhouse project.

"Our longhouse will be smaller than a traditional one," Brenda said. She is hoping children will participate and be helped by their parents. "It's a great learning experience. I guarantee that the image of a tepee will no longer be the first one that pops in their minds when they think of traditional Indian homes."

"People don't realize that American Indian tribes are as different from each other as European cultures. This reinforces our diversity," said Rebecca Shield, also of East Brunswick. Shield, who is Lakota, said her ancestors did live in tepees. "This is my first longhouse. I am going to be learning too."

"Our people don't live in longhouses anymore," Brenda Davis said. "But you will still find them on many reservations. They are at the heart of our traditional teaching, which many people still practice."

The longhouse will be set up at the IntertribalAmerican Indians of New Jersey's meeting Saturday at 2 p.m. in Thompson Park's log cabin, just past the animal enclosure and near the lake.

Those interested can call 732-789-4805 or email maryanneross123@yahoo.com. The organization, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate the public about American Indian people, cultures and history, asks attendees for a small donation to offset the cost of materials and expense associated with the project.