By Judith Marvin, Member, North Central Pennsylvania Executive Committee
Please join us in celebrating our name change from "Otzinachson" to "North Central Pennsylvania Group" of the Sierra Club! Why did we change our name? For several reasons: No one outside of a select few could pronounce Otzinachson, let alone spell it. And where was our group located? You had to be an insider to know that Otzinachson refers to the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. Now the name reflects the geographic location of our service area.
Perhaps of more importance, there is considerable confusion over which group of Native Americans to which the term refers. Many, including some historical societies, think it refers to the Lenni Lenape, but these people were original inhabitants of the Delaware Valley, not of the Susquehanna River. Others believe the Iroquois used the name to refer to the Susquehannock, a people who lived in the Susquehanna valley from at least 1550 AD. Or could it refer to the Shawnee, one of whom ferried Conrad Weiser across the Susquehanna? We hope that the work of our chapter to Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet honors all of these indigenous peoples.
This blog was included as part of the September 2022 Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!