On October 18 and 20, Moravian Academy was pleased to welcome Mrs. Shelley DePaul as a guest speaker.

Mrs. DePaul is Clanmother, Storykeeper and Language Director of the Lenápe Nation of Pennsylvania. She spoke in Chapel on both the Historic Downtown and Merle-Smith Campuses, bringing her love of the Lenape language, music, and traditions to three informative and fun presentations.

A Lenápe language specialist, Ms. DePaul has been instrumental in preserving the Unami dialect, which was once on the verge of extinction. She shared how Moravians in Bethlehem also helped to preserve this language by recording it in writing during their early encounters with the Lenape.

Mrs. Dupaul is the author of a Lenape language textbook, and teaches classes in Lenape, both online and at Swarthmore College, focusing on conversational language and phrases. On the Merle-Smith Campus, in addition to speaking in Upper School Chapel, she was able to join the advanced Global Language Course on Second Language Acquisition taught by Mme Kim Sanborn, sharing a sample Lenape lesson.

During Lower, Middle, and Upper School Chapels, Mrs. Depaul taught our community several words in Lenape, and led us in singing and prayer from the Lenape tradition. She also taught us a fun game with a stick and piece of string that helps improve dexterity and focus.