Mr. Topolow,
Upon reading your recent adventure, I thought I would try to respond to some of your ?'s.

You made a point of stating that you were driving your "high end luxury vehicle". To be honest, that was PERHAPS a signal to the residents that you were yet another outsider, on an expedition to satisify your curiousity.

Try to put yourself in their place. This has been going on for decades. Many a person has descended upon the community for personal gain ie:Books, newspaper articles,even graduate study! For all of their intentions, the community was never well served. They have been much maligned, misinterpreted, misrepresented,and judged. If every generation of YOUR family had been treated in such a fashion, pain and hurtful stories recounted to you, and more horrificly experienced by you and your extended family, and you have a thousand year connection to the land, you live in the world, but not of the world, materialism and consumerism are foreign practices, and you see NO benefit in assimilation, and your entire world as you have known it is suddenly
deeming you an oddity, and young people, (usually under an influence)
make it practice to come into your community and yell obscenities for your children to hear, and throw bottles at your property, and you must send your children to local public schools where some teachers and administrators (familiar with the stereotype)deny your children the educational benefits to which they are entitled soley based on their predjudice and folk lore, and tell them " You don't have to worry about going to college", WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

History has taught us one thing,time and time again,that outsiders cannot be trusted! I feel that this indeed is sad. For those of us moved away, we have lost much also. There is a wonderful comfort associated with living among your own people. Tied together through history as the first people of New Jersey!

Sadly, Native peoples are treated the same all over the country. Government policy has not advanced for indians, and the same practices that sought to exterminate our ancestors, are still in effect!

As a state recognized tribe, we arae entitled to, and recieve all the same benefits that federally recognized tribes recieve, except for 1)land claim and 2)Gambing.

1 @ 2 will probably never happen in n.j due soley to Atl. cty, and the powers that be. Truth rarely stands up to power!

My people have nothing to prove,confirm, or deny to any one outside of the tribe. We will continue to conduct our affairs as we have forever.

Every one who CAME here originally, was fleeing some sort of persecution in their native country, and yet inflicted every social injustice upon indian people, and continue to do so.

Remember, we have been fighting terrorism since 1492! Some are content to live as they always have, some are content to assimilate, and persue material objects, and some try to live in both worlds.

ALL RETURN HOME at some point in time, as we are all tied to each other, without judgement, or critism. Just needing to have our souls fed. needing to walk the mountain, smile at each person we pass (known or unknown) yet we recognize in them a piece of ourselves. we are all connected through band, clan, or blood. We are Ramapough Mountain Lenape Indians, Keepers of the past, and protectors of the eastern gate.(even if the past, or gate, has been reduced to our road, or yard!

Immigrants come,and Immigrants go. We remain regardless of the trials and tribulations. If nothing else, we are a durable people. I hope I have been able to give you some insight into my community.

Anushiik,
Commissioner Autumn Wind
N.J. State Commission on American Indian Affairs