“Lenape Craft Fair Launches at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park”
**Celebrating Lenape History: The Inaugural Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing Indigenous Culture Fair in Prospect Park**
This past December, Brooklyn’s historic Picnic House in Prospect Park transformed into a vibrant hub of Indigenous culture, artistry, and education for the inaugural Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing Indigenous Culture Fair. The event brought Native American communities from across Turtle Island (a term for North and Central America) together with local Brooklyn residents in a celebration deeply rooted in Lenape heritage. Echoing with rhythmic drumming, resonant chants, and traditional bells, this landmark event marked a poignant return of the Lenape people to Lenapehoking—their ancestral homeland from which they were forcibly displaced centuries ago.
### A Homecoming and a Cultural Revival
Organized collaboratively by the Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing (Land of the Lunaapeew) Collective, the nonprofit American Indian Community House, and the Prospect Park Alliance, the fair showcased the richness of Lenape history, culture, and artisanship. The initiative was part of the ReImagine Lefferts initiative, which seeks to address Prospect Park’s historical ties to land dispossession and slavery through inclusive programming.
According to George Stonefish, founder of the Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing Collective and of Lenape and Ottawa descent, the fair was about rekindling connections within the Lenape community, which has been scattered across North America. “We’re spread all around, and that’s part of the problem,” Stonefish explained. Events like this fair, he emphasized, are critical in bringing people back together and reconnecting them with their ancestral land.
### A Multisensory Experience
The weekend-long event offered an array of activities for all ages, designed to educate, engage, and inspire. Performances by the Red Blanket Singers—a group with Southern-style Native American roots encompassing Nanticoke, Lenape, Haliwa-Saponi, and Mohawk traditions—were a major highlight. Dancers in radiant regalia performed traditional dances originating from various Native communities, including the rhythmic jingle dance, which originated among the Chippewa.
Meanwhile, children had the opportunity to dive into cultural crafts by creating corn husk dolls with twine, evoking traditional practices. Parents and visitors browsed through a curated artisan market featuring vibrant beadwork, wampum jewelry, deer-hide goods, and holiday ornaments crafted from materials like bone, turquoise, and grapevines.
### Supporting Indigenous Artisans
The Picnic House served as an artisan marketplace where vendors sold intricately handmade goods. Many expressed appreciation for the fair’s unique setup, including the absence of booth fees—a rarity at Indigenous craft fairs like powwows. Vendors were also provided with hotel accommodations and reserved parking spaces, ensuring an atmosphere of respect and care.
Rozlynn Tone-Pah-Hote, a Kiowa-Maya-Oneida beadworker, shared her experience: “We’ve known George Stonefish our whole lives, we’ve known Red Blanket, so it’s nice to get together because we see people that we know.” She noted that sales were better at this event compared to other powwows, as the fair’s open and free-to-the-public format attracted a diverse crowd.
### Building Bridges and Looking Forward
For both organizers and attendees, the Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing Indigenous Culture Fair was more than a celebration—it was a homecoming and a step toward rectifying historical erasure. Dylan Yeats, project manager for the ReImagine Lefferts initiative, called the event a “real departure for the Prospect Park Alliance and the Picnic House as a venue,” expressing optimism for future collaboration.
Brent Stonefish, a fellow collective founder based in Ontario, reflected on the emotional resonance of returning to Lenapehoking: “It’s nice to come home.” He envisions future gatherings bringing even more members of the Canadian Lenape community back to their ancestral land.
### A Commitment to Education and Inclusion
The fair was supported by the Manna-hatta Fund, the American Indian Community House, and funding from New York City Council Speaker Adrienne E. Adams’ Speaker’s Initiative. This broad-based support underscores a growing recognition of the importance of Indigenous-led events that educate the public while honoring ancestral traditions.
As the drumming and dancing filled the Picnic House and the Long Meadow beyond, the Éenda-Lŭnaapeewáhkiing Indigenous Culture Fair forged new connections between Lenape people, their culture, and the local community. For many attendees, the event was a meaningful reminder of the enduring presence and resilience of Native peoples—a sentiment best encapsulated by the fair’s overarching message: coming together, honoring history, and envisioning a shared future.
With its success, this inaugural event sets the stage for future gatherings that continue to strengthen ties between Indigenous communities and their historical homelands while fostering mutual understanding and respect among