Carrie Jones Preserves Pinebrook Cemetery: Sand Hill Band of Lenape & Cherokee Triumphs in Landmark Land Rights Battle

Karen Brittingham-Edmond
Aug 6
3 min read

August 8, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Per Brooklyn Demme

Picture Source: Brooklyn Demme — **Picture Source:** Brooklyn Demme

Tinton Falls NJ -- The Tribal Historian for the Sand Hill Band of Lenape & Cherokee of NJ just saved her cemetery from an outside corporation which was trying to take it from her family. Her name is Carrie Jones and she won by representing herself in court pro se. The family cemetery which Carrie Jones has managed to preserve is called the Pinebrook Cemetery. Their family line has roots in Africa, Europe, and Scheyichbi. Meaning “the land between two rivers” in the Unami Dialect, Scheyichbi is the portion of Lenape territory which contains New Jersey today. “We need to heal our family wounds so our family can play the role it’s supposed to play in the greater purpose which is to heal the nation’s wounds,” explains Sand Hill Band Council Member Spotted War Turtle Norris Branham.

Branham is both subject and producer of a documentary entitled Diligence, which tells the story of Carrie’s Victory for the tribe. Diligence was directed by Brooklyn TrueHeart Demme who learned documentary filmmaking from his Academy Award winning dad Jonathan Demme – known for directing Silence of the Lambs, Philadelphia, Protection Not Protest: The People of Standing Rock, The Agronomist, and others. The New Jersey Premier of Diligence will occur in September when Diligence screens at the Newark International Film Festival. “One of my favorite things about our film Diligence is the soundtrack. It contains a deeply enriching layer of internal community storytelling in the form of topical, sacred Rap songs from three Sand Hill Band Tribal Members: Norris Spotted War Turtle Branham, Kai Shomo aka “Mr. Ripley”, and Obadiah Berry aka “Mettasun the Akoshick”. Ref: Jonathan Demme - IMDb

One of their relatives to the North, my Ramapo Munsee Lenape brother Shaunqui Harris aka “Lynk7” contributed an incredible original composition (ft. Third Eye), too. Just like love for people, love for music is baked into the filmmaking praxis I learned from my dad Jonathan. All of this contributes to a deeper appreciation of Carrie Jones’ magnificent work at home and in the courtroom to preserve the land.” In addition to the “Newark International Film Festival”, Diligence has been selected by “Massachusetts International Film Festival”, “Charlotte Black Film Festival”, “Indianapolis Black Documentary Film Festival”, “Freedom Fest International”, and the “Hip Hop Film Festival” in Harlem, NYC.

In October, Diligence will play in the “Weengushk International Film Festival” in the Aundeck Omni Kaning First Nation of Ontario. Outside of the film, Carrie Jones continues to fight for the swift return of land taken from her family, “I feel like it's just the beginning of helping people reclaim and secure their property back,” says Tribal Historian/Council Member Carrie Jones. “I am so proud of Carrie, fighting on behalf of our people, and winning is just the icing on the cake! She is the first councilwoman that I know of in my lifetime, and she proves that women are just as capable as men in undertaking anything. She is a true representation of all of our people, SHE is US!” says Yonaguska Ronald Holloway, Chief of the Sand Hill Band of Lenape & Cherokee. “It may be time consuming...but trust me: it can be done. We're going to acknowledge and uplift our family and Communication is healing, so it's going to be a healing process for everyone involved.” Carrie Jones, Tribal Historian/Council Member/Registrar, Sand Hill Band of Lenape & Cherokee.