For Lenape, Ancient Cultural History Lies Beneath the Sea

Dennis Coker understands why people find these stories so surprising -- what’s out of sight is out of mind for the average beachgoer. But as the principal chief of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware -- a people whose roots in the area trace back thousands of years -- what’s out of sight is very much on his mind.

Coker, also known as White Otter, has become a prominent voice on Mid-Atlantic ocean planning issues, often representing his tribe and other members of the Confederation of Sovereign Nanticoke Lenape Tribes of the Delaware Bay (with members from Delaware and New Jersey) at public meetings. One of the tribes’ most important issues is that as commercial and industrial activities increase offshore, care must be taken to document the discovery of any historic sites that have long since been submerged by an evolving shoreline.

“Fifteen thousand years ago, the outer continental shelf was a grassy plain and we were out there harvesting the resources, and I’m sure we had settlements out there,” Coker said. “So the identification of cultural sites on the outer continental shelf is a major concern of mine.”

Coker first got involved in the regional ocean planning process about five years ago, when he was invited by the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) to provide tribal input at a series of meetings about potential offshore wind energy sites. He found the discussions interesting, stayed in contact with officials he became acquainted with, and now regularly participates in discussions on related issues.