From the Woodland periods of habitation on Delmarva, from [unreadable] BC to 1600 AD, Native people lived by the estuary and shaped their lives around its rhythms. They moved to tap runs of spawning sturgeon, shad, and [unreadable] and to gather oysters and crabs. Along the Delaware, they used fishing tools and techniques suited to these waters. Archaeological surveys at the new Center site uncovered signs of Native activity, including an arrowhead dated 2000 to 5000 years ago found near the building site grounds and fire-cracked rocks that reflect early Native campfires. During the Woodland Period, Native people developed new and better tools for using natural resources, including special hooks, nets, and spears for fishing, the bow and arrow for hunting, grinding stones for processing plants, and refined pottery, cooking, and food storage materials. Their expression [unreadable], meaning "water is life," reflected a deep spiritual valuing of and stewardship for the bays, rivers, streams, and wetlands that enriched and sustained their way of life.