Native Americans lived, hunted and farmed in east-central Indiana for two thousand years before the area became a part of the Hoosier State. Mounds and enclosures built by Adena and Hopewell peoples still stand near the White River and reflect their vibrant and mysterious cultures. The Lenape tribes moved to east-central Indiana many years later after the Northwest Indian War. Led by the great chiefs Buckhongehelas and Kikthawenund, the White River Lenape attempted to forge an identity after being forced from their homeland on the Atlantic coast. Place names like Delaware County, Muncie, Yorktown and Anderson demonstrate the importance of the tribe in local history. Author Chris Flook explores the unique yet often untold history of the Native experience in east-central Indiana.
Chris Flook is a lecturer of telecommunications at Ball State University. He teaches documentary filmmaking, web design and motion graphics. In recent years, he has advised student teams in the production of several documentaries, including The Lenape on the Wapahani, A Legacy Etched in Glass and Indiana Crossrails: A Transit Choice. Flook is also the vice-president of the Delaware County Historical Society and is on the board for the Indiana Barn Foundation.