Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where do people in your community gather or socialize?
  - How and where does your community access services (healthcare, transportation, educational services, etc.)?

Examples of activities and services: Shopping areas, schools and universities, libraries, parks, lakes, rivers, places of worship, healthcare services, public transport, local nonprofit organizations, etc.

Your response: Some of us our Christian, and some of us are spiritual and follow the traditional way. There's a Brook Church in Hillburn that many people attend. There's a Ramapough tribal center in Mahwah, that's the main tribal center, each headed by a clan chief, but there's one in Ringwood and Hillburn for different clans as well. There are powwow up at Sally field in Ringwood. The mountains are very important to the people, people enjoy fishing and hunting. There's a big burial site - Split Rock, where people go for spiritual sessions.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What are the cultural bonds in your community?
  - If your community has a shared history, what is it?

Examples of cultural or historical interests: Religious groups, ethnic groups, languages, age groups, immigration status, historic or arts districts, etc.

Your response: The Ramapough people consist of the turtle clan, deer clan, and wolf clan. The turtle clan is based around Mahwah, New Jersey. The deer clan is based in Hillburn, NY. And the wolf clan is in Ringwood, NJ. The Ramapough people have been in the area for centuries. The Ramapough are a blended tribe. Other nations have joined, e.g., Kikiat, Esopus, Hackensack, Tappan, Nyax, and Pomptons are all part of the same nation with a lineage going back a long way. The Ramapough people who survived the wars joined with other survivors of other nations. Our nation signed most of the land deeds in the area.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - Where are residents employed?
  - If there are environmental concerns in your community, what are they?

Examples of economic or environmental interests: Tourism industry, agricultural workers, mining town, manufacturing center, polluted natural resource, unemployment problem, etc.

Your response: We're economically a very diverse people. Many of the people are blue collar workers, who do physical labor. But others do white collar jobs. There is a stigma for Ramapough people in the area, so many have moved away. Many of us are veterans, and have joined the service to escape that local stigma.

Use these questions to think more about how you would describe your community...
  - What should politicians and/or map drawers know about your community?
  - What are the needs of your community?
  - Is there anything else you want to tell us about your community?

Examples of needs or concerns: Keep community in the same district or separate into multiple districts, shared policy concerns, need for a social service, relationship to other nearby communities, issues with current district lines

Your response: The Ramapough people could use more job opportunities, better education, affordable housing. In Ringwood is a superfund site that is still not cleaned up, and needs to be. The Ramapo River has had oil spills right there in Mahwah, there was diesal fuel that leaked where people swam and fished. In Tuxedo Park in New York there was a home heating oil trucks that were flooded and leaking into the river. Many environmental justice issues.