The Lenni Lenape (Len-na Len-NAW-pay) people (also called the Delaware Indians) are in the ALGONQUIN language group.
They had permanent, seasonal settlements with social and political organizations. The absence of natural barriers permitted trade routes and the other cultural expressions among the Lenape and other Native groups.
"I
sailed to the shore in one of their canoes, with an old man, who was a
chief of a tribe, consisting of forty men and seventeen women; these I
saw there in a house well constructed of oak bark and circular in shape,
with the appearance of having a vaulted ceiling. it contained a great
quantity of maize, and beans of last year's growth, and there lay near
the house, two mats were spread out to sit upon, and immediately some
food was served in well made red wooden bowls;
two men were also dispatched at once with bows and arrows in
quest of game, who soon after brought in a pair of pigeons which they
had just shot........ The natives are a very good people; for when they
saw that I would not remain, they supposed that I was afraid of their
bows, and taking the arrows, they broke them in pieces, and threw them
into the fire......”
Henry Hudson, describing an encounter with a group of Lenni Lenape on the west shore of the Hudson River near present day Catskill, New York, in 1609.
With the arrival of Europeans, the Lenape and other Native societies suffered radical and often devastating changes. The newcomers introduced diseases such as measles, smallpox, and venereal diseases, which severely reduced native populations.
The most pervasive influence on the relationship between native people and Europeans was the FUR TRADE. Furs were traded for metal tools, utensils, cloth, rum, and more. Fur trade encouraged competition among natives and led to dependency on European goods.
The European immigrants re-named the Lenapehanna (River of the Lenape) after the British Lord De la Warre. The word was slurred into Delaware, and the newcomers called the Lenape people "the Delaware".
As more Europeans traveled westward to Penn's Woods (today called Pennsylvania), some of the Lenape went North through New York into Canada. Others moved to Ohio and farther westward away from the Europeans.
The influence of other Native cultures on the migrating Lenape (and vice versa) can best be seen in art work, craft adaptations, and clothing modifications.
There are three main groups of the Lenape people:
Group Name Unami Muncy Unalachigo
Group Symbol Turtle Wolf Wild Turkey
Picture Symbol
Lenape
people today still celebrate their cultural survival!
Garrett "Wolf" Derr -
Reciting from Walum Olam
and dancing.
You can also find pictures of traditional wikwams and lodge houses, as well as a canoe.
Native people today live and dress like everyone else but at special time of the year, during special ceremonies or festivals, they often wear their traditional regalia. Some attend powwows and wear dance regalia.
Winter scene from When the Shadbush Blooms
Things to Consider ...
How do you celebrate your culture? What do you do that is special?
How do you dress, play, worship? What special foods do you eat?
Which Native American foods do you eat everyday?
Attention teachers: We help you meet Pennsylvania’s Academic Standards in History & Arts / Humanities and New Jersey's Core Content Standards in Social Studies.