Grant Nickalls played Snow Hunter in "Standing in the Light." We spoke with him and Don Secondine, an on-set advisor on Lenape history and customs, about what it was like to work on a t.v. show set in an 18th century Lenape village. To play Snow Hunter convincingly, Grant says he not only had to memorize his lines but learn about his character's background. He did research on the Internet and in the library to learn about the Lenape; and the director of the show even gave him homework - lots of things to read about the Lenape experience in colonial days! Grant says, "There were many Native American actors on the set who encouraged and helped me by sharing their own experiences and knowledge." He practiced saying Lenape words with a dialect tape, and Don, the expert on Lenape history, was on set for last minute help with pronunciation. Don is a member of the Lenape Delaware tribe of Oklahoma, and knows a lot about the tribe's way of life now and during the 18th and 19th centuries. We asked him: Did the makers of "Standing in the Light" do as much homework as Grant to portray the Lenape lifestyle accurately on set? "The set was pretty realistic," Don says. "The Lenape traditionally lived in wigwams. These homes could be three shapes - a dome, a long oval dome, or a cone. In "Standing in the Light," White Owl, Caty's adopted mother, lives in a conical wigwam covered in elm bark. In other places wigwams might have been covered in birch." Don adds that men really did wear earrings and nose rings, and people really did paint stripes, dots, animals and designs on their faces. For a half-hour television program, it wasn't possible to show every aspect of life in a traditional Lenape village. However, Don helped the producers of the program portray details of everyday life like games and music. For instance, Snow Hunter makes a musical instrument that he plays for Caty. While it looks like a flute, it's actually called an ahpikon, explains Don. "The ahpikon is the only wind instrument the Lenape used. All of their other instruments were rattles and drums. Musical instruments were very special. Each different ceremony and dance had its own instrument, and that instrument couldn't be used for anything else or at any other time." Are there games that Lenape children played that kids today might also play? Sure! Don says grownups and kids played games to relax. Games they played that are still played today include stickball and "Indian football." This game - called pahsahëman (pah-SAH-hum-mahn) by the Lenape -- is always played boys against girls. There aren't any real rules, it's just a battle to get the ball into the goal. The only catch is that the boys aren't allowed to use their hands, pass the ball or run with it - but the girls can do whatever they want! Finally, we asked Don to tell us a little more about the Lenape tribe. "The Lenape is a tribe of the Algonquin Indians that lived in the Delaware River Valley of Pennsylvania and the Hudson River Valley in New York," Don explains. "'Standing in the Light' would have taken place in the Delaware River Valley of Pennsylvania, where the Quakers settled. "The Lenape are unique in that they were the first to negotiate a peace treaty with the United States in 1778 - when the U.S. was only two years old! Though the United States government broke the promises they made in the treaty several times in the following 250 years, the Lenape always kept their part of the bargain." There are many other fascinating things to learn about the history and customs of the Lenape and other Native American tribes. If you're interested in learning more, visit the library and ask for help -- the librarian can refer you to lots of great books. In the meantime... Here are some Lenape words for you to use - the underlined syllable is the one you accent! Lenape word: Pronounced like this: Translates as: Wanìshi Wah-NISH-she Thank you Wëlët Wool-LUT Good Kukhus KOOK-hoos Owl Chëmamàs Chuh-MAH-muss Rabbit Tahkox Tah-KOX Turtle Pambutis Pahm-BOO-tees Snapping turtle Tëme TUM-may Wolf Kwëti KWUT-tee One Nisha NEESH-shah Two Naxa Nah-XAH Three You may also want to visit the Delaware Tribe of Indians web site. This is a web site that explores many aspects of Lenape tradition and culture, and helps with pronunciations of lots of Lenape words. Very special thanks to Grant and Don for their assistance. Thanks also to Jim Rementer. Jim is the director of the Lenape Language Project for the Delaware tribe and helped us bring you the Lenape words and pronunciations you'll find on this page, as well as information about "Indian football."