Peter Prusinowski Walks the Trail of Hope
The Great Elm Tree, rooted in an area of present day Philadelphia formerly known as Shackamaxon, serves as a symbol of strength, peace and friendship. Known as “the treaty never written, never broken,” William Penn’s Treaty of Amity and Friendship in 1682 established a peaceful coexistence between two very different cultures. Penn founded this treaty on the Quaker principals of equality, integrity and peace. In return, Lenape Chief Tamanend sealed the pact with a wampum belt, symbolizing a “chain of friendship” that lasted for more than 70 years.
In March of this year, Peter Prusinowski, of Fishtown Philadelphia, embarked on a journey to commemorate this inspiration pact between Penn and Tamanend. Prusinowski’s Trail of Hope, a 2,000 mile walk tracing the Lenni Lenape Indian migration route from the East Coast to the Midwest, pays tribute to the plight of Native Americans, and the historic sites and monumental events which helped to shape the United States.
Prusinowski began his journey in Penn Treaty Park, Philadelphia, and arrived in Bartlesville, Oklahoma last week. The Bartlesville Delaware Tribe held a reception for Prusinowski, who presented the tribe with gifts including a commemorative coin of the Penn Treaty Elm, and a pen made from the wood of a fallen Treaty Tree. Haverford College also sent along a seedling from their Penn Treaty Elm descendant.
Learn more about Prusinowski’s journey at trailofhopeblog.com
