Rankokus: a cultural center and a contested lease

A center moved through South Jersey

A 2007 state committee report traces the nation’s community centers from Philadelphia to Moorestown, then to Medford in 1976. It records an agreement in 1982 for 350 acres of state land in Westampton. The report describes a museum, gallery, trails and school visits at Rankokus. That dated account documents a public educational role; it is not a statement of today’s opening arrangements. 2007 Native American Community Affairs report, p. 17.

A lease under pressure

In September 2010, reporter Jason Nark described the DEP’s proposed reduction of the occupied land to a five-acre museum parcel. State officials cited maintenance and code problems; tribal council member Obie Batchelor described financial strain and the site’s spiritual importance. The article even records competing acreage figures from the parties. These should not be combined with the earlier 350-acre figure as if all describe one surveyed boundary at one date. Jason Nark’s September 27, 2010 report.

The same report separates public access to a cultural center from private ceremonies. A lease dispute can concern buildings and maintenance while also affecting a community’s ability to gather. The report establishes the dispute and proposed changes in 2010, not every subsequent action. Jason Nark’s September 27, 2010 report.

Recognition followed a separate course

In March 2019, New Jersey announced an agreement acknowledging that the Powhatan Renape Nation had been state-recognized since 1980 and revoking previous denials. The announcement concerns eligibility for benefits and services available to state-recognized tribes. It does not say that the Rankokus land lease was restored or convey a new property title. Attorney General’s March 18, 2019 announcement.