Delaware (Lenape) people have a saying,
“Our songs come from the wind.”
‍
‍Multidisciplinary artist Nathan Young (Delaware/Pawnee/Kiowa) expands upon an enduring Lenape musical tradition where it first began, harnessing contemporary sounds of wind, water, and wildlife to compose a new sound-based artwork within the landscape of Pennsbury Manor - a historic site dedicated to the life & legacy of Pennsylvania founder William Penn.

Audiences experience this work by traversing through it, following the rhythms of the landscape, and tuning in to the sounds of Lenapehoking today. This intimate framework invites audiences to engage in active listening and confront changes made upon the land by the movements of people, their relationships to the environment, and their relationships with each other. Extending across the fields of sound art, public history, and soundscape ecology, nkwiluntàmën provides a stage to listen to the environment through a decolonial framework, envisioning new futures that honor indigenous knowledge and foster respect for the land upon which we all depend.

The project launched in Spring 2023 and will stay open through a cycle of four seasons, witnessing atmospheric and sonic changes at the site. The exhibition accompanies a series of free public events in collaboration with multiple institutions, an educational curriculum on Lenape cultural heritage for ages 6-12, and a first-of its- kind phone application created to reach distant audiences and descendants of the Lenape diaspora.

For more information about the project or to learn how to participate in the program, please go to: www.nkwiluntamen.com‍