Cohanzick Lenape Symposium to Spotlight Living History and Native Voices in Bridgeton
Image courtesy of the Native American Advancement Corp.
BY MADISON JOLLEY | For AC JosepH Media
BRIDGETON — Next week, the Cohanzick Lenape Symposium will open its doors in Bridgeton, inviting the public to learn, experience, and connect with a community whose roots in South Jersey run thousands of years deep.
The three-day event, which will be held Aug. 27-29 at the Cohanzick Nature Reserve, will highlight the living voices of the Lenape people while honoring traditions that have often been overlooked or erased from mainstream history.
For Tyrese Gould Jacinto, president and CEO of Native American Advancement Corp., the symposium represents more than a cultural event. It is an opportunity to affirm visibility for a people who have too often been described in the past tense.
“Most symposiums are based on the expertise of people speaking about a subject,” Jacinto said. “Ours is different because we are the subject, and we are also the voice of that subject. We are not just telling stories of the past. We are the living embodiment of our people today.”
The program will include a variety of workshops, presentations, and demonstrations. Attendees will see ancient Lenape and Indigenous art from the Lenapehoking region, storytelling rooted in oral tradition, and opportunities to walk the same land where generations of Cohanzick Lenape lived.
The symposium is hosted on the Cohanzick Nature Reserve, land that was in Lenape hands for centuries before it was lost through taxation. In recent years, the land has returned to Native stewardship, giving the event an even deeper connection to history.
“They are going to walk upon the dust of our ancestors,” Jacinto said. “They will feel the vibration of our people that has continued to exist throughout millennia.”
The experience is meant to go beyond education. Jacinto hopes visitors leave with a sense of unity and community that has always been central to Lenape life. Food, fellowship, and walking the land are just as important as lectures or cultural exhibits.
Jacinto reflected on her own upbringing within Lenape culture. Although assimilation into mainstream society often meant invisibility for her community, family gatherings, church programs, and cultural traditions created a foundation of belonging.
“Growing up, we were basically invisible because there were no programs catered to our people,” she said. “Yet when we came home, we had our sense of community. We stayed together through family, through church, through births and celebrations. It was our way of staying whole.”
That closeness continues today, particularly among younger generations. Jacinto described how children and grandchildren are still being raised in the same traditions she grew up with. Youth events teach archery, gardening, cooking with ancient foods, and traditional crafts like beadwork. Just as important, they emphasize the relationship between people and the natural world.
“Our youth still embrace the culture,” Jacinto said. “They learn to walk the trails, to care for nature, and to understand that we are part of a symbiotic relationship with the earth.
“We are multi-generational, and you will see five or six generations in the same room, always. Our elders guide our children, and our children respect our elders. That is how our community has always remained strong.”
Jacinto said many visitors from outside the community have expressed how moving it is to witness this sense of togetherness. Students, neighbors, and even international guests have commented that they have never seen such closeness between generations.
To Jacinto, that reaction underscores why it is so important for the symposium to create space for others to experience what Lenape people have preserved for centuries.
When asked what excites her most about the event, Jacinto was clear that it is not a single workshop or performance.
“The fact that we are hosting a symposium about us, on our territory, and managed by us, that is what excites me,” she said. “We respect the researchers who have studied our history, but they cannot tell the story from our lens and our tongue. They cannot share it from our experiences. The fact that we can, that is what makes this symposium important.”
Looking beyond the symposium, Jacinto emphasized that the mission of Native American Advancement Corp. goes far deeper than reclaiming history. The organization is committed to teaching people how to live in balance with the natural world, a lesson she believes is urgent for all communities.
“Our main goal is to expose and teach everyone, especially the younger generation, how to live one in a symbiotic relationship with nature,” she said. “Without nature in our hands, at the bottom of our feet, and in the air we breathe, we cannot survive. It is not only about saying we are Lenape and that we were here. It is about teaching people how to live with Mother Earth.”
As the Cohanzick Lenape Symposium approaches, Jacinto sees it as both a celebration and an invitation. It is a celebration of resilience, visibility, and culture that has endured for thousands of years, and an invitation for others to witness and learn from the voices of a living people.
The Cohanzick Lenape Symposium will be held August 27–29 in Bridgeton at the Cohanzick Nature Reserve.
More information can be found at cohanzick.org/symposium.
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