A COMMEMORATIVE GATHERING--
to honor the Delaware Indian Village of Greentown





For the first time in 200 years the haunting sound of Indian drumbeats filled the natural amphitheater (above) which, two centuries ago, was adjacent to the site of a peaceful Indian village. 

Today's Greentown Preservation Association, tells us, "Delaware Indians, along with a small group of Mingos, Mohawks and Mohegens, settled the present Greentown site as early as 1782." 

The village included more than 150 dwellings by 1812, the year of our war of that same date, in which  General William Hull surrendered to the British at Detroit in August.

Consequently the native American residents were removed from Greentown in September of that year--and their village was burned. 

What we still remember with horror as the Copus Massacre happened in retaliation; peaceful victims of otherwise peaceful Indians who were watching their land and their culture being overrun by the white-man's expansion westward.

Delaware elder Michale Pace, whose Delaware name is Xingweleno, and his wife (above) drummed their ancestral music while dressed in authentic tribal regalia.

He shared a soothing message on the culture and history of his people, traditionally known as the Lenni Lenape. 

Bobbi Harpster of Ashland, a descendant of the Copus family and shadowed behind the Paces (above), also told of her recollections of  family reunions where, like their Indian counterparts,  her family shuddered at the horrors of their history while sharing also her peaceful comfort at being able, that day, to jointly and joyfully celebrate the bicentennial of those events.

The day's celebration also involved demonstrations of weapons of the period and a large collection of archaeological relics, many from the actual site of Greentown.

The celebration also included an Indian version of the game we would recognize as football.  It was called "Pahsaheman" in the Delaware language and involved the men against the women described in historical literature as a "very rough and tumble" event.

In this day's version of the rules the men could not use their hands while the women were not thus encumbered.  They played two halves with sometimes painful enthusiasm between goals marked by tree branches stuck in the ground.

Out of bounds markers seemed to be however far agressive participants chose to chase the round leather ball into the woods.

That's Mrs. Doc Shaffer of Bellville (above) tossing the ball in celebration of the women's lopsided victory.

Other events during the day involved Indian reenactors, well versed in the history of their roles, sharing stories and answering questions from many of the several hundred folks in attendance.

I questioned my new friend Ke-Wha-Ten (The North Wind), an enactor from Crawford County (above), about why US military veterans were sometimes honored by being invited by Indians to participate in similar celebrations.

He paused for a moment, looked me in the eye and said quietly, "Time Heals the Soul."

GREENTOWN--

In the quiet woods along the Black Fork River in southern Ashland County a commemorative gathering was held recently to honor the people and the events that happened there during the War of 1812.

Michael Pace, a delegate from the Delaware Tribe of Indians (above) was the featured speaker and first-ever official visitor to the site of this Indian village where his ancestors lived more than 200 years ago.  Please stop by Saturday for more of that story. 

BOOK REPORT--

Under the Surface by Tom Wilber

While this book looks at the economic and environmental challenges of drilling for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formation it is germane to Richland County where disposal of liquid fracking waste only recently entered our area's consciousness.  Fracking is the process of forcing chemical laced liquids under extreme pressure into wells in an effort to open horizontal seams around the vertical drill hole thus increasing the quantity of the flow of petroleum or natural gas.  The question then becomes are we willing to accept the obvious risk of polluting our ground water in return for increasing our supply of fossil fuels.  This is a journalistically balanced look with a good peek at consequences most people do not want to endure.


Time to Start Thinking; America in the Age of Descent by Edward Luce

This book takes a good look at the problems facing the US but looses all legitimacy with its constant liberal blathering and slams of the Republican Party and barrage of snide remarks about the Tea Party movement.  I could easily visualize the writer constantly looking over his shoulder to consult his handbook of tabloid journalism.


Sleepless by Charlie Huston

Parker Haas was an idealist who wanted a better world and joined the LA Police Department and tried to do what he could.  But the city is suffering waves of chaos...a plague of sleeplessness.  The city is ruled in equal parts by martial law and insurgency.  I wrestled my way through 116 pages then stumbled again over such phrases as "...a trap from the Clockwork Labyrinth."  Or, "...catch a glimpse of Cipher Blue".  Or, "...replaced by the Precipice Bacchanal...."  Or, "...frenzy in the circular city of Gyre, hemming on the edge of the Chasm itself."   And, this in but two consecutive paragraphs.  This one went directly back to the library...


...where I picked up Zero Day by David Baldacci

A hard to put down page-turner.  What better can you say about a book!  Military intrigue deep in Appalachian West Virginia with a hard-nosed military investigator teaming with a pretty local cop and saving that part of the US from nuclear Armageddon.  Another in what I nope to be a never-ending effort by this very popular writer.

HIGHEST POINT IN OHIO--

Yup, this Corps of Engineers survey mark is located on Campbell Hill out on the south side of Ohio route 540 about 2 miles east of Bellfontaine.

In spite of being abused you still can read the elevation of 1548.81 above; that's feet above sea level and is the highest known point in the state.

The hill is named for Charles Campbell who owned the land from 1898 to 1937.

My car GPS said 1546 feet; hardly scientific besides on the dash it was about 3 feet above the ground which would make the corrected reading at ground level of 1543 feet.

Wikipedia and Geology.com websites have our highest elevation at 1550 feet.  

Actually we are dealing with "mean" sea level for the base of this measurement and "mean" often is described as a middle point between extremes.

So, I certainly can live with 1548.81.  Really hard to prove otherwise anyhow.

From the early 1950s the hill was home to an Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron.  That facility was closed in 1969 and soon replaced by a vocational school which remains there.

Jim, our tour guide at the Ohio Caverns learned we were headed here and recalled he had taught mathematics in "the pink building beside the marker" for over 20 years.

He also told us he had heard the highest point distinction might soon be taken by a landfill rising past that elevation in the Cincinnati area.

I can hear the Bellefontaine Chamber of Commerce folks rattling their sabers at this challenge to their lofty status.  That would be just plain embarrassing to be overtaken by a garbage dump. 

For what it is worth, Richland County's highest elevation is a respectable 1,510 feet.  Plus or minus, of course.

    
That's Sue enjoying a historic marker at the site.  There is no majestic view toward a distant horizon from this perch.  Campus buildings and nearby woods have taken care of that.

IN TODAY'S NEWS--
"Obama Campaign Redesigns the American Flag"

There you have it folks; fresh from Obama's web site today.  Reelect this guy and you will soon find yourself in the United States of Obama rather than the United States of AMERICA!

"OCCUPY" ASHEVILLE--

About 40 Asheville, NC protesters marched through the city earlier this week to mark the one year anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street march that was held in New York City.  You noticed, of course, the charming fellow carrying the "Love" sign.

_________________________
From the Asheville Citizen-Times edition of September 18th.  Staff photo by Bill Sanders. 

 

OBAMA CAUGHT IN OPEN-MIKE EXCHANGE--

SEOUL KOREA March 26, 2012

Makes folks wonder what else this guy has planned if he is re-elected and no longer has to answer to the American people.

That's Russian President Vladimir Putin above, the intended recipient of Obama's open mike gaffe.

Read about this event in the NY Times here  ...or in Reuters here!