Year Honored: 2014

Birth: 1940 -

Born in: Millsboro, Delaware

Biography

Latricia Odette Wright, also known as “She Who Knows,” was born in Millsboro, Delaware in 1940. Wright grew up in Delaware, attending the local Native American Schools until high school, as there were none nearby. She attended the Haskell Institute, a Native Boarding School in Lawrence, Kansas. After graduating, Wright spent a few years in California before returning home to Delaware.

The original territory of the Nanticoke covered much of Maryland’s eastern shore, but colonial attacks pushed them into Sussex County. About 1,000 members of the Nanticoke Tribe still live in Sussex County, Delaware today. Wright has spent a large portion of her life dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of the Nanticoke. She worked for over 31 years as the curator of the Nanticoke Indian Museum.

Wright has also traveled throughout the state giving presentations on native heritage, sharing songs, histories, stories, and dances at various schools, churches, and community programs. Through her work, she has “created a lasting legacy for future generations… preserving the history and heritage of Delaware’s Nanticoke Indians.”
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Sources and Additional Readings

Design, C. W. (n.d.). Museum - Nanticoke Indian Association. nanticokeindians. Retrieved January 18, 2022, from http://www.nanticokeindians.org/page/museum

A history of the Nanticoke | local news | cecildaily.com. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2022, from https://www.cecildaily.com/local_news/a-history-of-the-nanticoke/article_7eb7bbac-097f-11e1-8cb1-001cc4c002e0.html

Marker is recognition for Nanticoke's descendants. Cape Gazette. (1970, January 1). Retrieved January 18, 2022, from https://www.capegazette.com/node/35958

Nanticoke honor Odette Wright on Native American Day - Nanticoke Lenape Confederation. Google Sites. (n.d.). Retrieved January 18, 2022, from https://sites.google.com/site/3tribeconfederation/home/posts/nanticokehonorodettewrightonnativeamericanday