The Book as Living Relation: Collaborative Study of Lenape Belongings with Indigenous Communities

Explore a lecture on collaborative study of Lenape (Delaware) belongings with Indigenous communities of origin, delivered by Suzanne Conklin Akbari at the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures in Hamburg. Delve into methodological insights on collaboration, relationality, and the status of the book in the context of the Mellon-funded "Hidden Stories" research project. Discover the community-led approach to examining Indigenous books and book-adjacent objects, such as wampum, housed in museum and library collections across North America and Europe. Gain valuable perspectives on working methods, surprises encountered, project phases, Lenape communities, collaborations, the Brainard Lexicon, community engagement, book relations, deeds, belts, and birch bark artifacts. Uncover the intricate connections between Indigenous knowledge, material culture, and the evolving understanding of books as living relations.