Moses Tunda Tatamy
Tatamy, Northampton County, Pennsylvania
Marker Inscription
A Delaware Indian of the Munsee branch, he exemplified the spirit of reconciliation. He lived on 315 acres northeast of here, patented to him by the Penns, 1738. Tatamy was the first Native American baptized by the famed David Brainerd, 1745. An interpreter, he undertook many diplomatic missions. The borough of Tatamy, incorporated 1893, was named for him.
Erected by Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
The Story
Moses Tunda Tatamy was a Delaware (Lenape) Indian of the Munsee branch who received a 315-acre land patent from the Penn family in 1738 and became a vital bridge between Native and colonial worlds. In 1745 he became the first Native American baptized by missionary David Brainerd, and as a skilled interpreter he carried out numerous diplomatic missions during a tense era of treaties and land dealings. The borough of Tatamy, incorporated in 1893, still bears his name.
Why it matters
His life embodies the fraught but real work of reconciliation and diplomacy between the Lenape and Pennsylvania's colonial settlers during the mid-18th century.
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Related people
- · Moses Tunda Tatamy
- · David Brainerd
Themes & tags
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