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This drawing from 1778 depicts my ancestor Daniel Nimham, the last Leader of the Wappinger Nation, who died defending his ancestral homeland during the War for Independence.

Daniel and his son Abraham had served alongside Washington at Valley Forge, and were the only two Native Americans elevated to the rank of Captain in the Continental Army. They received Christian names upon their baptism by famed missionary Jonathan Edwards “evangelist to the children of the forest” in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.

Daniel fought throughout his life to defend his Sovereign Claim to the Wappinger Homelands, which comprise the eastern shore of the Hudson River from the northern tip of Manhattan to present day Duchess County, including the “crown jewel of the highlands” Lake MaHopac where my family still resides. Daniel’s land claims were so well known and controversial in the colonial courts that He and three other Indian Chiefs were received at the court of King George III in England, where he remained for two years pleading the case.

The claim was not officially resolved until 1811 when the State of New York Settled with John Jacob Astor, who was the wealthiest Man in America, for $150,000, effectively ending any recourse for the Wappinger decedents.

Daniel and Abraham died along with 40 other men of the Wappinger and Mahican tribes at the battle of Kingsbridge in the Bronx, where ‘Indian Field’ exists today (Van Cortland Park). Many of the Stockbridge Indians removed to Wisconsin, where a federally-recognized decedent group live today, while others like my 6x Great-Grandmother Hannah (Daniel’s Daughter) returned to the Hudson Valley, living out their days in the only home they ever knew.

I am grateful to the knowledge bearers in my extended family who have helped me to reconnect with this history and to experience it on a personal level, as well as to have been able to research it under the guidance of Ned Blackhawk, one of America’s leading Indigenous Scholars, while a student at Yale.

#IndigenousPeoplesDay #rediscoveramerica #itsallnativeland #americanindian #nativeamericanheritage

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sometimes you just need to stroll through a historic house

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just heard they're tearing town this house on my road built in 1715 :( this house is older than our country and is being replaced by a doctor's office

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Upstate NY>>>>

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Sitting on a Kayak with no wind, neutral temperature and this beauty. There’s something about gazing at the sky, the moon and the sun that just makes me feel whole and at peace.

This truly took my breath away ✨

Does anyone else love the moon and moments like this as much as me lol?! 🌚

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🌅☀️🙃

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To me, the moon is a true wonder. It has been fun being in the right spots at the right times for moon rises and when it is bright in the sky 🌙

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Sunday ☀️
It’s always great to have @timmyfarina on local hike adventures because he has so much knowledge of the native land and history here in Putnam County 🌸

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Always chasing moon rises 🌙
Evening Kayak on Lake Mahopac

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roots

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“He who cares not whence he cometh cares not whither he goeth”

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ripple

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