The Lenape: Lower New York’s First Inhabitants

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This Saturday, November 13th, at 7:00 pm, Historic Huguenot Street will host another in its Second Saturday Lecture Series. David M. Oestreicher will combine archaeological and historical evidence with decades of firsthand ethnographic and linguistic research among present-day Lenape traditionalists, to arrive at a full picture of the Lenape from prehistory to the present. The presentation includes a slide program featuring native artifacts, maps, illustrations, and photographs, as well as images of contemporary Lenape who are among the last repositories of their culture. This lecture offers a unique opportunity to learn about lower New York’s original inhabitants, the Lenape &#8212- not the romanticized figures of popular mythology or new-age literature, but a living people as they really are.

Dr. David M. Oestreicher is recognized as a leading authority on the Lenape (Delaware), our region’s first inhabitants, having conducted linguistic and ethnographic research among the last tribal traditionalists for over 30 years. Oestreicher is curator of the award-winning traveling exhibition, In Search of the Lenape: The Delaware Indians, Past and Present, which critic William Zimmer in the New York Times described as &#8220an extended reverie,&#8221 capturing &#8220the vitality and poignancy of the Lenape saga.&#8221 Oestreicher’s writings have appeared in leading scholarly journals and books, and he completed the final portion of the late Herbert C. Kraft’s The Lenape-Delaware Indian Heritage: 10,000 B.C. &#8211 2000 A.D. &#8212- a tome subsequently hailed by scholars as the seminal work on the Lenape. Oestreicher’s monograph, &#8220The Munsee and Northern Unami Today&#8221 in The Archeology and Ethnohistory of the Lower Hudson Valley and Neighboring Regions (1991), marked the first ethnographic account of the Hudson River Lenape (now the Canadian Delaware) since the work of anthropologists M. R. Harrington (1908, 1913, 1921) and Frank G. Speck (1945).

Cost: $8 per person/$6 for Friends of Huguenot

Albany Institute Celebrates Mummy Collection

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They may be thousands of years old, but they don’t look a day over 101. In 1908, Samuel W. Brown, a prominent citizen of Albany and member of the Albany Institute of History & Art’s board of directors, was traveling through Cairo, Egypt, where he bought two mummies that he donated to the Institute. Since the day they arrived in Albany in 1909, the mummies and their coffins have become part of Albany history, seen by generations. More than 100 years later they remain objects of ongoing international study, slowly unveiling clues about the ancient world in which they once lived.

On Sunday, November 21, the Albany Institute will celebrate the 101th anniversary of the arrival of the famous Albany Mummies with art activities, stories, tours, and refreshments, all devoted to Albany’s oldest residents.

Children can bring a toy to mummify it in our studios from 1:00 to 4:00 pm. Tours of the Ancient Egypt exhibit will be held at 1:00 and 3:00 pm. Storytelling by Jeannine Laverty will take place at 2:00 pm. Yummy mummy treats will be provided by Gigi’s Treats. All activities are free with museum admission.

For more information contact Barbara Collins, Education Coordinator at [email protected], or call (518) 463-4478, ext. 405.

Photo: Partially unwrapped mummy, male, Late Dynastic to Early Ptolemaic Period, (525-200 BC). Courtesy Albany Institute of History and Art.

Adirondack Anti-Slavery Convention Planned

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During &#8220Slavery in New York? Slavery Today?&#8221, a two-day Convention being held Friday, December 3rd and Saturday, December 4th, experts on contemporary slavery and human trafficking will be joined by scholars, historians, victims advocates, lawyers, investigative reporters, musicians, and the general public to examine slavery and trafficking in New York State and ways to end it. Events will take place around the Lake Placid area.

New Yorkers have long regarded slavery as a southern institution. However, the 1991 discovery of the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan offered irrefutable evidence that New York was a veritable slave society for hundreds of years. Recent research and fresh scholarship have begun to mine a long-buried history. As New Yorkers begin to remember and commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, examining the State’s dual legacy of slavery and freedom will shed new light on the complex narrative of our past.

Although largely erased from official history and collective memory, New York “promoted, prolonged and profited from” slavery from the 1620s through the 1850s. Slave labor was here at the start of New Netherland and it continued throughout the British colonial period with such intensity that at times during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, New York City had a larger slave population than any other city in North America.

Around the world today, slavery is still alive and well, generating billions of dollars along the supply chain of labor and products that make much of our daily lives possible. Though a crime in nearly every country, roughly 27 million people are enslaved worldwide today, including nearly 55,000 people in the United States. In the State Department’s 2010 report on human trafficking across the globe, the U.S. was identified as a “source, transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor, debt bondage, and forced prostitution.”

According to the Washington, D.C.-based Free the Slaves, slaves are found in nearly all 50 states, from farm fields and orchards to hotels, restaurants, private homes, factories, sweatshops, brothels, and construction sites. Immigrant populations, both documented and undocumented, are especially vulnerable, but native-born Americans are not immune to being enslaved and trafficked. New York, along with California, Florida and Texas, ranks among the states with the greatest incidence of documented slavery in the country.

PARTICIPANTS

* Chandra Bhatnagar, ACLU Human Rights Project Staff Attorney and counsel for 500 Indian men trafficked into the U.S. as “guestworkers”-

* John Bowe, award-winning investigative journalist and author of Nobodies: Modern American Slavery and the New Global Economy–

* Florrie Burke, Co-Chair of Freedom Network (USA), expert on the treatment of trafficking victims and one of the first social services respondents to Deaf Mexicans forced to sell trinkets on the New York City subway in the mid-1990s-

* Mia Nagawiecki and Betsy Gibbons, New York Historical Society-

* Renan Salgado, Farmworker Legal Services of New York-

* Ron Soodalter, author of Hanging Captain Gordon: The Life and Trial of an American Slave Trader and co-author with Kevin Bales of The Slave Next Door–

* Tina M. Stanford, Executive Director, New York State Office of Victims Services-

* Dr. Margaret Washington, Professor of History at Cornell University and Sojourner Truth biographer-

* Dr. Sherrill Wilson, urban anthropologist at forefront of effort to research, interpret and protect the African Burial Ground discovered in Lower Manhattan-

* Duane Vaughn, Executive Director of Wait House, an emergency shelter in Glens Falls for youth ages 16-21- and

* Dr. J.W. Wiley, Director of the Center for Diversity, Pluralism & Inclusion, SUNY Plattsburgh.

SCHEDULE

December 3:

8 am-3 pm Educators Workshop at Heaven Hill Farm

7 pm-9 pm Slavery, Film & the Shaping of an American Conscience at Lake Placid Center for the Arts

December 4:

8 am-5 pm Anti-Slavery Convention at High Peaks Resort

5 pm-6 pm Wreath-laying Ceremony at John Brown Farm State Historic Site

9 pm-? Closing Reception at Northwoods Inn

&#8220Slavery in New York? Slavery Today?&#8221 is co-sponsored by the freedom education project John Brown Lives!, John Brown Coming Home, the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, the National Abolition Hall of Fame, and the Center for Diversity, Pluralism & Inclusion at SUNY Plattsburgh. Participants include:

Chapman Museum’s Wine & Chocolate Festival

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The Chapman Historical Museum’s 5th Annual Wine & Chocolate Tasting will be held November 12th from 5:30 to 8:00 pm at the Queensbury Hotel, 88 Ridge Street, Glens Falls, NY. The 2010 Tasting will feature a mix of more than 60 domestic and imported wines selected by Adirondack Wine Merchants from the myriad labels available through regional distributors. This year the offerings will include a wide range of varietals, whites and reds from dry to sweet, ports, and dessert wines. Attendees will discover both “great buys” and more expensive wines that they may not have tried.

The event also will feature gourmet chocolates from the Chocolate Mill, Barkeaters Chocolates, and locally made cheeses and desserts. Other participants include Argyle Cheese, Rock Hill Bakehouse, Sugarloaf Farm, and Catering & Cakes by Bella. Attendees may purchase food products at the event and order wines from Adirondack Wine Merchants, if they desire. Fiddler George Wilson will provide live entertainment throughout the evening.

New this year, NBT Bank is sponsoring an “Exclusive Wine Tasting” from 5:00-6:00 pm. Participants will taste a selection of amazing wines that are sure to please one’s palate, while learning about the terroir they are produced from and the history of the makers. VIP Passes to this exclusive treat, which must be purchased in advance, include admission to the rest of the evening’s events.

Tickets cost $30 per person in advance- $35 per person at the door. Admission to the Exclusive Wine Tasting is $75 per person. Attendees are encouraged to make reservations to go out to eat afterwards in one of Glen Falls many restaurants, eight of which are offering special discounts to ticket holders.

The 2010 Wine and Chocolate Tasting is sponsored by Adirondack Wine Merchants, Aeon Nexus, Cool Insuring Agency, Inc., D’ELLA Auto Group, TD Bank, and The Post Star. All proceeds benefit the Chapman Historical Museum.

For more info and tickets, call (518) 793-2826 or stop by the Chapman Historical Museum at 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday, Noon to 4 pm.

Brooklyn Museum Offers Nov-Dec Adult Programs

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During November and December the Brooklyn Museum will present a variety of public programs for adults including a new series of Talks and Tours to take place on Thursdays at 7 p.m., as part of the Museum’s newly expanded hours, as well as performances by the Brooklyn Philharmonic and Brooklyn-based jazz pianist Randy Weston, a panel discussion about young women and feminism, and an artist talk with Fred Tomaselli.

PERFORMING ARTS & FILM

Music Off The Walls: Resonant Snapshots
Sunday, November 21, 2-4 p.m.
Concertmaster Deborah Buck and pianist Molly Morkowski present music by Scott Joplin, Charles Ives, and John Corigliano in conjunction with the special exhibition Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera. A related gallery talk precedes the program at 1 p.m. Tickets are $15- $10 for Members, students, and seniors. To purchase tickets, visit www.brooklynphilharmonic.org or call (718) 488-5913.

Music: Randy Weston Trio with Ayanda Clarke
Sunday, December 12, 3-5 p.m.
Pianist Randy Weston, bassist Alex Blake, and percussionist Neil Clarke are joined by soprano saxophonist T.K. Blue, tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, narrator Kim Weston Moran, and special guest percussionist Ayanda Clarke. Weston signs copies of his recently released autobiography, African Rhythms, after the concert. Tickets, which include Museum admission, are $15 and can be purchased at www.museumtix.com or in person at the Museum’s Visitor Center. The concert is co-presented by the Museum and the Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC) as part of BAC’s year-long initiative &#8220Black Brooklyn Renaissance: Black Arts & Culture, 1960-2010.&#8221

TALKS & TOURS

Tour: &#8220Seeing Power in Art&#8221 NEW
Thursday, November 11, 7 p.m.

Lecture: Fred Tomaselli
Friday, November 12, 2 p.m. The artist shares insights about his working process and exhibition.

Panel Discussion: &#8220The Art of Activism: Women Civil Rights Veterans Tell Their Stories&#8221
Sunday, November 14, 2 p.m.
A panel made up of the editors of Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC discusses the book. Feminist historian Debra Schultz moderates. A book signing follows.

Conversation and Book Signing: The Four Fingers of Death by Rick Moody
Saturday, November 20, 3 p.m.
Moody discusses his new novel with artist Fred Tomaselli. A book signing follows.

Tour: Chief Curator’s Pick NEW
Thursday, Dec 2, 7 p.m.
Chief Curator Kevin Stayton chooses and discusses objects from the collection.

Tour: &#8220Seeing Two Dutch Houses&#8221 NEW
Thursday, December 2, 7 p.m.

Tour: &#8220Seeing Brooklyn’s Masterpieces&#8221 NEW
Thursday, December 9, 7 p.m.

Panel Discussion: Young Women and Feminism
Saturday, December 11, 2 p.m.
Courtney Martin, co-editor of the anthology Click: When We Knew We Were Feminists, leads a panel of young women in a discussion of how they discovered feminism.

Tour: &#8220Seeing Royal Benin Bronzes&#8221 NEW
Thursday, December 16, 7 p.m.

Tour: &#8220Seeing 4,000 years of Japanese Ceramics&#8221 NEW
Thursday, December 23, 7 p.m.

Tour: &#8220Seeing Water&#8221 NEW
Thursday, December 30, 7 p.m.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Creative Art Making: Soft Sculpture
Saturday, November 20, 2 p.m. The Girlie Show leads a workshop for adults on how to create a soft sculpturel using pop culture images of women. There is a $15 materials fee, and registration is required. Register at www.museumtix.com or at the Museum’s Visitor Center. A limited number of free tickets are reserved for Museum Members on a first-come, first-served basis. Members should call (718) 501-6326 for tickets.

Follow the Brooklyn Museum’s Press Office on Twitter at BklynMuseumNews.

Photo: Randy Weston. Photo by Ariane Smolderen

A Celebration of William and Henry James

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The contributions of William and Henry James will be highlighted at a presentation entitled At the Gateway to Modernism: A Celebration of William and Henry James on Wednesday, Nov. 10, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the University at Albany. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place in the Standish Room of the Science Library on the uptown campus.

Renowned author Henry James and his brother William, a psychology professor and philosopher, had many ties to the Albany area, according to Associate Professor of English Mary Valentis, who organized the event as director of the Center for Humanities, Arts, and TechnoScience (CHATS). &#8220Many of the James family relatives are buried in Albany Rural Cemetery,&#8221 she said. &#8220The father graduated from the Albany Academy, and the grandfather made his fortune in Albany real estate.&#8221 Henry James even opened his story, Portrait of a Lady , in a brownstone on Albany’s State Street.

The significant works and pivotal thought of the two brothers helped shape the 20th Century and more particularly the intellectual, artistic, and philosophical moment now called modernism.
Henry and William James

Author Henry James and his brother William, a psychology professor and philosopher.

The panel of experts celebrating the James family will include:

• Professor Ronald A. Bosco, Distinguished Professor of English and American Literature at UAlbany,

• Professor Linda Simon of Skidmore College, and

• Dean of UAlbany’s College of Arts and Sciences Edelgard Wulfert, professor of psychology.

The celebration will extend to the spring semester, when on March 4, 2011, Henry James on the Stage will be featured at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center. From 3 to 5 p.m. on that day, Dr. Barbara Blatner, Yeshiva University Workshop, will do an adaptation of Henry James’s short stories for poetry and stage. From 7 to 10 p.m. that same evening, there will be a staged reading of Larry Lane’s new play inspired by Henry James’s Aspern Papers. Playwright and director Lane adapted Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener for stage. After the reading, theater goers will have an opportunity to talk with Lane.

Photo: Author Henry James and his brother William, a psychology professor and philosopher.

Freedoms Treasures Exhibit Headed to Capitol

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Governor David A. Paterson has announced that the &#8220Freedom’s Treasures&#8221 exhibit, a rare display of Revolutionary War-era and early nation period historical artifacts, including a handwritten draft of Washington’s Farewell Address, will be open to the public at the State Capitol’s ceremonial Red Room, from 10 AM to 4 PM on November 10-11.

The exhibition, entitled &#8220Freedom’s Treasures,&#8221 features a collection from the New York State Library, Archives and Museum of some of New York’s most important Revolutionary Era artifacts that have rarely been seen by the public. Featured in the exhibition is an original draft of George Washington’s Farewell Address penned in his hand that was sent to Alexander Hamilton for comment and revision on May 15, 1796. The document is part of the George Washington Collection at the New York State Library and was rescued from the fire that ravaged the State Capitol in 1911.

&#8220Freedom’s Treasures&#8221 also will give the public the chance to see a dress sword allegedly given to General Washington by Frederick the Great. The sword was purchased by the State of New York directly from Washington’s family in 1871 and is depicted in the Washington portrait that hangs in the United States House of Representatives. According to Washington family tradition, the sword was given to General Washington
with this verbal message from Frederick (the Great) II, King of Prussia: &#8220From the oldest general of the world to the greatest.&#8221

Among the other artifacts included in this exhibition are a portrait of New York State’s sixth Governor DeWitt Clinton and a writing desk he used. In office during two non-consecutive terms, Clinton was responsible for the building of the Erie Canal. The exhibit also includes the original engrossed copy of the U.S. Constitution sent to
New York State for ratification and the &#8220spy papers&#8221 retrieved from British Major John Andre’s boot that implicated American General Benedict Arnold in the West Point conspiracy.

The full list of exhibited items includes, Washington’s Farewell Address, Bronze bust of George Washington, Leaves from Washington’s copy of &#8220A Representation of the Cloathing of His Majesty’s Household and of all the Forces upon the Establishments
of Great Britain and Ireland&#8221 (the uniform book), Washington’s dress sword, Benedict Arnold / John Andre papers, A print of John Andre crossing the Hudson River (based upon his own drawing of the event), an engrossed copy of the original U.S. Constitution, a DeWitt Clinton portrait, and DeWitt Clinton’s writing desk and chair.

Reservations are required for those interested in visiting the Freedom’s Treasures exhibit on Wednesday, November 10. On Wednesday, those who are registered for the tour should meet at the Plaza Visitor Center, North Concourse, Empire State Plaza, Albany. For those interested in making reservations for Wednesday, November 10, should
visit: http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/.

Reservations are NOT required on Thursday, November 11. Those interested in viewing the exhibit should enter the Capitol directly and follow the signs that will be posted. Visitors can gain access to the Capitol either from State Street or through the Empire Plaza Concourse.

For those who can’t see the items in person, a website has also been established.


Photo: An estimate of items at West Point one of several documents that were found in Major Andre’s boot when he was captured trying to get to West Point in 1780.

New Guide: Chronicles of Old New York

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It’s been said that the history of New York City is written in its streets. A new Museyon Guide, Chronicles of Old New York: Exploring Manhattan’s Landmark Neighborhoods by third generation New Yorker James Roman (who can be found on re-runs of HBO’s Six Feet Under), provides an opportunity to really discover the 400 years of the city’s history. Illuminating those streets through the true stories of the visionaries, risk-takers, dreamers, and schemers who built Manhattan is the strength of this unusual guide.

With eight historical walking tours, illustrated with Chronicles of Old New York is enjoyable for history buffs, city residents, occasional visitors, or tourists. The guide includes detailed maps and full-color photographs, 25 meticulously researched articles on dramatic stories from New York history including episodes from the lives of John Jacob Astor, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Stanford White, Gertrude Whitney, Donald Trump, and more. Sidebars on taverns, townhouses, architecture, and neighborhoods, a detailed timeline of historical events, and walking tours of nine historic New York neighborhoods tat include include detailed maps and subway directions make this guide handy.

Chronicles of Old New York includes nearly 60 historical maps, over 100 photographs and illustrations from the collections of the New York Public Library, the New-York Historic Society, New York University Archive, the Smithsonian Institute Portrait Collection, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum, and the Museum of the City of New York.

Note: Books noticed on this site have been provided by the publishers. Purchases made through this Amazon link help support this site.

Ogdensburgs Lighthouse Point Makes Historic Register

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The Fort La Presentation Association’s historic Fort de la Presentation property on Lighthouse Point, already listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places, will soon join the seven Ogdensburg sites recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office has helped move the Fort Association’s application forward, and her office reports the Fort historic site on Lighthouse Point should be on the Federal Register soon.

“Fort de la Presentation, one of the historic jewels in New York State, once played a vital role in the formation of our nation. Once fully restored, the Fort has the potential to attract thousands of tourists, which will help stimulate the region’s economy through new development and job creation,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “As New York’s first Senator from Upstate in nearly 40 years, I am proud to support the restoration of this beautiful, historic site. Thanks to the work of the Fort La Presentation Association, New Yorkers will soon be able to enjoy this landmark restored to its former glory.”

“The Fort Association is grateful to Senator Gillibrand for her staunch backing of the Fort Project and the assistance of her office to have the Fort’s location listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with Ogdensburg’s registered heritage sites,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Presentation Association. “Becoming an acknowledged member of this distinguished group will positively impact our work toward building our Interpretive Center. The recognized historical importance of our property gives us credibility among potential donors as we continue planning to build Fort de la Presentation.”

From the mid-18th century to the early 19th century the fort at the mouth of Oswegatchie River, under French, British and American flags, influenced the development of Ogdensburg and its role in the history of the United States.

“In addition to honoring the City’s place in American, Canadian, and Native histories, placement of these lands on the National Register of Historic Places positions the Fort La Presentation Association to use the site to continue to play an important role contributing to the development of historic tourism and local hospitality businesses, as well as the overall growth of our local economy,” said Ogdensburg City Manager Arthur J. Sciorra.

The Acker and Evans Law Office, New York State Armory, Ogdensburg Armory, Oswegatchie Pumping Station, U.S. Customs House, U.S. Post Office, and Library Park Historic District have met the criteria to be worthy of federal recognition and preservation because of their links to American history.

Until the building of the Interpretive Center and Fort de la Presentation, the interpreted site on Lighthouse Point will attract tourists who would not usually venture this way and indicate to residents the significance of their community’s history.