Could Sussex Native American history be lost to development?

Chief Michael Quiet Bear Morabito doesn’t want to see any more of his people's history lost to development.

Environmentally sensitive land in southern Delaware that contains the sacred stones, pottery and possibly bones of his ancestors could soon be built over by 200 homes.

“This is the land of my ancestors,” said Morabito, the tribal chief of Assateague People of Delmarva, during a candlelight vigil Sunday evening. “This was a village site. I believe that in my heart. It’s hard to see the development in this area and the history that’s being lost every day.”

The property at stake spans over 180 acres along Old Mill Bridge Road and Dirickson Creek. The developer wants to build 227 homes on the edge of the creek that feeds Little Assawoman Bay.

Planning and zoning commissioners could vote to approve the subdivision Thursday.

If the proposal is approved as is, over 40% of mature forest at the site would be clear-cut, despite state officials saying the land isn't ideal for development.

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The land also contains at least 10 archaeological sites — two on the northern portion and eight on the southern portion — many ripe with Native American and other artifacts.

It is unclear what will happen to those artifacts. Delaware law doesn’t require their preservation unless burial sites are found.

The developer hasn't responded to 2018 recommendations by the State Historic Preservation Office to conduct a more in-depth archaeological survey and to both avoid and protect historic sites on the land.

"There’s no law that says they have to do more, but look: This is our collective history," said resident and local author Barbara “B.B.” Shamp, who has written extensively on Dirickson Creek.

The developer did hire archaeological consultant Edward Otter for a limited investigation, in which he found items like pottery dating back over a thousand years. He recommended further work on the site, and said an Indian village and Indian fields were in the area.

Two years ago, Otter uncovered Native American burial areas and a family cemetery on a 134-acre property in Lewes. That property was later approved for nearly 300 homes, with the developer stating they have taken "extensive measures" to protect those areas.

Morabito said he wants a third-party archaeologist to survey the land.

"What history is here is very important to my tribe, because we’ve lost so much," he said.

Possible cemetery

Developers have been swarming the Old Mill Landing site and bordering properties for well over a decade. There was a 2003 proposal for 381 homes, and a year later another proposal for 1,460 homes.

In 2005, when a 770-home neighborhood called The Estuary was proposed, the developer had a preliminary archaeological survey done and uncovered several Native American artifacts.

“Burials are not likely here,” Otter, the archaeological consultant, said during a public hearing on the Old Mill Landing proposal earlier this year. “In order to have burial preservation you need to have good organic preservation."

But in 2005, The Estuary developer responded to concerns from the state, saying “a historic cemetery would be relocated” and, “steps will be taken to relocate and to re-inter the remains within the cemetery."

While that proposal encompassed a larger area, it has prompted concerns over whether more cemeteries and burial grounds exist on the current site.

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“When we know that they’ve been found at Avery’s Rest, when we know they’ve been found at the Groome site, why wouldn’t they be found here?” Shamp said.

And if remains are found?

“They need to be moved," Morabito said. "I don’t want to see them sitting in a shoe box up in Dover. They need to find a place where we can put them back in the ground with the proper ceremony.”