MILFORD, Del. - The Milford Museum's program at the Milford Public Library this month will feature a presentation on the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware.
On Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m., the Milford Museum will commemorate Native American Heritage Month with a special presentation by Dennis J. Coker, Principal Chief of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware, at the Milford Public Library. Chief Coker will share the rich history of the Lenape Tribe, Delaware’s ‘First People,’ who have long resided in and around Cheswold in northern Kent County.
Chief Coker, a lifelong resident of Kent County, has served as the elected Principal Chief of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware since 1996. During his tenure, he has worked to celebrate and preserve the unique history of the Lenape community.
Chief Coker, a lifelong resident of Kent County, has served as the elected Principal Chief of the Lenape Indian Tribe of Delaware since 1996. During his tenure, he has worked to celebrate and preserve the unique history of the Lenape community. (Milford Museum)
Under his leadership, the Lenape Tribe was officially recognized as a Sovereign Indigenous Nation by Delaware’s Governor in 2016. Chief Coker has also collaborated with the Delaware State Historic Preservation Office and the Federal Census Bureau, achieving a historic milestone by securing a Census Designation Area for Tribal members to list their ethnicity as Lenape for the first time in 2010.
He is also a member of the National Congress of the American Indian and a founding member of the Alliance of Colonial Era Tribes, which has furthered recognition and opportunities for Delaware’s Indigenous population.
Presentations like these are held by the museum on the second Saturday of each month and is offered through a donation from The Delaware Heritage Commission.