New working link for "Manahatta to Manhattan"

Friend of the DCNHP, Tony Scialli, brought to my attention that the play "Manahatta" opened today in NYC. Perhaps more about that in the future, after Tony sees the play in December, but this note got me to look at the story I tell in Native History of Washington, DC:(p.120) (see text below). 

When I checked the online link for the pdf of "Manahatta to Manhattan," I found it had been changed. The new working link is: ManahattaFINAL.indd (ospi.k12.wa.us)

Here's how the strange story is told in the book -

"In 2018, I came across a publication of the NMAI, which has a museum

in New York City as well as Washington. The article that I found online was

“Manahatta to Manhattan,” an excellent retelling of the Native American

people of the Lenape tribe who once lived in Manhattan. In a letter I

wrote to Kevin Grover on October 15, 2018, I cited that document on the

Manahatta and pointed out that it contrasts sharply with the absence of a

similar story about the Native tribe of Washington, DC.142 Oddly, when I

later went back to look for the Manahatta document, I found it was no longer

available on the website of the NMAI. It can still be viewed online from a

website in Washington State."

Video to Direct Viewers to the Once As It Was DC Map

This 1.5 minute video gives a brief summary of what will be found on the interactive Once As It Was Map of DC.

Also available on youtube:

https://youtu.be/ui7G4-adD50

The History of the Anacostan/Nacotchtank Indians in Washington, DC

Here's an article I put together that retells some of the major archaeological finds regarding the American Indians, the Anacostans, sometimes called the Nacotchtank, who lived in DC when the European settlers arrived in America. Click the link below to see the pdf:*

“Why Did the Anacostan Indians Choose to Live on Capitol Hill?”

                                Drawing from 1590s showing a Dog in a Virginia Native Village
The article discusses the roles dogs played in Native life.

*Note: the first pdf has been replaced with an updated version, including more information about the various names that have been used for the Anacostan/Nacotchtank natives of Washington, DC.

The Nacotchtanck tribe in DC - Wikipedia

The presence of the Nacotchtanck in DC is clearly discussed in their wikipedia entry.
This is no secret.
We just don't talk about it or acknowledge it publicly in DC.

(For an update on the mistaken name, Nacotchtanck, being a misspelling of the Algonquin word "anaquashtanik," see this newer blog entry: 

http://nativevillagemarker.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-name-of-dcs-native-tribe-how.html)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nacotchtank

Kevin Gover, Director, National Museum of the American Indian 7/28/16

Kevin Gover, Director
National Museum of the American Indian,
Washington, DC
July 28, 2016

Re: Native Village Marker for Capitol Hill

Dear Kevin Gover,

My time in Melbourne, AU has sensitized me to the issue of acknowledging the historic people who came before us. In Melbourne, each public meeting begins with mention of the indigenous people who originally occupied the land around the city.

As you may know, in Washington, DC, historic maps (see above) suggest that the dominant tribe that gave a derivative form of it's name to the Anacostia River, the Nacotchtanke, had villages not far from the Capitol Building. Ironically, the village locations are quite close to the American Indian Museum.

To the best of my knowledge, currently there is no public display that acknowledges the past existence of those villages.

Such a monument would be educational to local residents and visitors as well as provide evidence that we, as a city, acknowledge the Native people who enjoyed this land before us.

I am in the process of contacting key Washingtonians, such as yourself, who might be interested in pursuing the placement of a Native Village marker on Capitol Hill. In the near future I will also be contacting the Mayor and Congresswoman Norton to discuss this project.

Please contact me if you would like more documentation - the Library of Congress has been a rich and readily available resource - and if you would like to discuss this matter in more detail.

Sincerely yours,
Armand
Armand Lione, Ph.D.
202.544.0711