Munsee-Delaware Nation

Published purpose

The Preserving and Digitizing project aims to teach and sustain the Munsee language, culture, and heritage while building capacity for heritage preservation. To achieve these goals, the project involves digitizing and describing approximately 200 photographs that document the history of Munsee Delaware Nation. The photographs belong to the Dolson family, a large and longstanding Munsee family committed to preserving and teaching their language and history. Aaron Dolson is a cultural leader, while his sister and mother, Karen and Heather, were language teachers and preservers. His parents were involved in many business, religious, and healthcare activities, and his grandfather, Bill Dolson, was a Chief for many years. The family’s saved photographs, which document their lives and activities, are of great significance to our nation's heritage. This rich modern cultural history is documented in eight photo albums, two cases, and loose photographs. Our expectation is that, together, these materials will be an excellent record of life at Munsee Delaware Nation over the past century. By fostering discussion around these photographs, the project seeks to illuminate the cultural history of Thames River First Nations communities, as well as the interactions with local settler and mixed communities in Elgin and Southwold County, including Middlemiss, Melbourne, Delaware and London, Ontario