Tuscan School Celebrates November as National Native American Heritage Month!
Tuscan School remains deeply committed to equity, diversity, and culturally inclusive education. During the month of November our 5th grade student announces will spotlight past, present and emerging Native American leaders. We hope that by introducing and elevating indigenous perspectives and voices our students will be inspired to read numerous stories by Native American writers and use present tense verbs to talk about Native Americans.
Chief Tuscan (or Tuskin), who is said to have lived in our valley, was reputedly born a Mohican. The late Maplewood historian Beatrice Herman wrote that according to James Ricalton, the village’s famous schoolmaster, Chief Tuscan had migrated from Upper New York State, and married an Indian maiden, joining the Lenni Lenape and setting up household with her in the ravine along what is now Tuscan Road.
By one account, when Chief Tuscan died in 1801, members of his tribe staged an elaborate funeral ritual, and he was buried in the vicinity of his home. Some historians, including Mr. Kraft, believe that the Native Americans were long gone from this area by that time.
In the early 1920s, Mr. Ricalton, along with William Sayer, a member of the Board of Education, explored the swampy area near the East Branch of the Rahway River, which runs through Maplewood Memorial Park and the Tuscan School area. Mr. Ricalton collected not only artifacts but stories from descendants of the early residents.
Tuscan Elementary School
Email: ROARforTuscan@somsd.k12.nj.us
Website: https://www.somsd.k12.nj.us/tuscan/
Location: 25 Harvard Avenue, Maplewood, NJ, USA
Phone: (973)378-5221