FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Historic Richmond Town Debuts Native Encampment at
Main Village Site
Staten Island, New York: On Saturday, October 15, 2022, Historic Richmond Town will debut its Native Encampment at the Main Village Site at 441 Clarke Avenue during its annual Old Home Day Weekend event. The encampment presents a scene which invokes the life of the Lenape people of Staten Island and Greater New York, post-European contact.
In recent years, Historic Richmond Town embarked on a journey to ensure the historical narrative communicated to the public through our programming is a holistic story of the community. As work that can only be done with the authentic representation of the diversity of Staten Island, Historic Richmond Town sought to create additional spaces and platforms where the experiences and perspectives of all people are heard and valued. This past summer, Historic Richmond Town's Native Encampment was constructed in the southwest quadrant of the Main Village Campus.
David Bunn Martine, Director and Curator of the Shinnecock Nation Cultural Center and Museum, oversaw construction of the encampment; which includes a wigwam dwelling and several outlying structures. "It is an honor to have the structures at Historic Richmond Town because they represent the ancient presence of the Native American community that is still here today in the greater New York City area,” Says Martine. “The Lenape-Delaware people whose land was on Staten Island were the close relatives of the Montauk and Shinnecock people. While this structure was built in the traditional techniques, it is but one style that was originally used. All the construction materials are substitutions because the original species were not available, but the public will get a general impression of one type of single family dwelling that was still in use on Long Island/Greater New York by some of our people up to approximately 1856."
Historic Richmond Town Director of Education & Public Programs, Luke G. Boyd, spearheaded the project and worked closely with Martine during the encampment’s construction. "Historic Richmond Town's mission is to preserve and interpret artifacts and structures which chronicle the human history of Staten Island. With the addition of this Native Encampment to this site, we are acknowledging the life of the Lenape people, who lived on this land for thousands of years before European colonization. We also seek to acknowledge and honor the history of the Raritan, Hackensack, Tappan tribes of the Lenni-Lenape who lived here for generations - and continue to call Staten Island home.”
Boyd is also eager to utilize the encampment to expand Historic Richmond Town’s educational program offerings. “The encampment will act as a fulcrum for a more expansive and inclusive interpretive approach to the village - which will inform tours, programs, and class trips to the site.” He says. “The visiting public will benefit from the experience of encountering the encampment, to better understand the ways in which Native peoples lived before and after European contact.”
The Native Encampment will be activated during two special educational events. On October 15 & 16, during Old Home Day Weekend, the encampment will feature presentations of Native art, culture, and foodways, as presented by Drew Shuptar-Rayvis, Miciah Stasis and Taylor Stasis.
On November 19, Historic Richmond Town will focus its annual Hearth & Harvest Festival, in which encampment builder David Martine will give interpretive tours of the encampment site. The event will also feature presentations of Native dance by Patrick Little Wolf Brooks, US Army Veteran and member of the Tuscarora Nation, as well as 7 Directions Dancers. Additional features of the event include storytelling, vendors, and interpretive talks by John Scott-Richardson.
The Native Encampment project was made possible with generous support from Con Edison. Materials for the construction were harvested by volunteers from Freshkills Park and the Student Conservation Association.
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About Historic Richmond Town:
Historic Richmond Town is dedicated to creating opportunities for the public to explore the diversity of the American experience, especially that of Staten Island and its neighboring communities from the colonial period to the present. Historic Richmond Town preserves and maintains 40 historic structures over 112 acres of preserved parkland across four unique sites on Staten Island. The main site is a living history village featuring the Historical Museum that showcases the vast collection through engaging exhibitions. Historic Richmond Town offers public tours, membership, lectures, workshops, over a dozen special events and a variety of educational programs. A visit to Historic Richmond Town is an immersive step into history.
Historic Richmond Town is a non-profit educational cultural institution. Programs and events help raise funds to support the mission. Historic Richmond Town is operated by the Staten Island Historical Society, a Section 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation instituted and incorporated in 1856.
Press Contact:
Amy Kennard
Director of External Affairs, Historic Richmond Town
718-351-1611, ex. 266