Who Are the Lenape?
The Lenape (Lenni Lenape, meaning "true people," also known as Delaware) are an Algonquian-speaking people whose homeland encompassed the Delaware River valley and surrounding areas—including present-day New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, southeastern New York (including Manhattan), and northern Delaware. Today numbering approximately 16,000-20,000, Lenape are organized in tribes in Oklahoma (Delaware Nation, Delaware Tribe of Indians), Wisconsin (Stockbridge-Munsee), Ontario (Delaware Nation at Moraviantown, Munsee-Delaware Nation), and New Jersey (Ramapough Lenape Nation). They were among the first Native peoples to encounter European colonizers, and their history reflects the full arc of colonial and American dispossession.
The Grandfather Nation
The Lenape were called "Grandfathers" by other Algonquian peoples, a title of respect acknowledging their seniority and role as mediators and counselors. Their homeland, Lenapehoking, was one of the most densely populated regions north of Mexico, with extensive villages, agricultural fields, and seasonal hunting camps. Society was organized into matrilineal clans (Turtle, Turkey, and Wolf), with women holding significant social authority including control over household resources and influence in selecting leaders. The Lenape practiced a mixed economy of agriculture (corn, beans, squash), hunting, fishing, and gathering. They were skilled diplomats who mediated between rival nations.
Colonial Dispossession
Dutch colonization beginning in the 1620s (including the famous "purchase" of Manhattan) initiated a process of dispossession that would continue for centuries. William Penn's early relations with the Lenape were relatively peaceful, but the Walking Purchase of 1737—a fraudulent land deal—exemplified colonial exploitation. Displaced westward, Lenape moved to Pennsylvania's interior, then Ohio, then Indiana, then Kansas, and finally Oklahoma. At each stop, they rebuilt communities only to be displaced again. Some Lenape joined other indigenous movements—Moravian missions, Tecumseh's confederacy, various removals. This diaspora scattered Lenape across North America, from Ontario to Oklahoma, fragmenting but not destroying the nation.
Contemporary Lenape
Modern Lenape maintain community and identity despite centuries of displacement. The Delaware Nation and Delaware Tribe of Indians in Oklahoma have federal recognition and operate various enterprises. The Stockbridge-Munsee in Wisconsin include Lenape among their membership. Ontario communities maintain continuous presence. In the original homeland, the Ramapough Lenape Nation (New Jersey) seeks federal recognition and maintains cultural practices. Lenape language preservation efforts continue despite critically endangered status. The Lenape Center in New York City works to maintain Lenape presence in their original territory. Perhaps no other people better illustrates the pattern of repeated dispossession that characterizes Native American history—and the resilience that allows cultural survival despite it.
References
- Grumet, R. S. (1995). Historic Contact: Indian People and Colonists in Today's Northeastern United States
- Kraft, H. C. (1986). The Lenape: Archaeology, History, and Ethnography
- Weslager, C. A. (1972). The Delaware Indians: A History