The Delaware Indians were a Native American tribe who lived in what is now New Jersey and spoke two Algonquian languages. They moved west and formed alliances with the French and British, but were eventually forced to give up their land and now reside in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ontario.
The Delaware Indians were a Native American tribe who lived in what is now New Jersey. Most of these Indians lived in areas north of the state of Delaware, east of the Delaware River and south of the Hudson River. At first European contact in the 1500s, Delaware Indians lived in an area known as Lenapehoking.
The Delaware Indians were part of the Algonquian tribes because they spoke two languages, Unami and Munsee, which were part of the Algonquian languages. The Delaware Indians were related to the Miami Indians, Ottawa Indians and Shawnee Indians. It is believed that the Delaware Indians were viewed as “grandfathers” because they were the oldest members of the Algonquian nation.
After large numbers of European settlers began to immigrate to North America, the Delaware Indians began making their way west. As they moved west they encountered the Iroquois Indians who proceeded to push them further west. William Penn and other Quaker settlers formed the Pennsylvania Settlement to drive out the Delaware Indians. Westward progress took them into what is now Ohio, along the Muskingum and Auglaize rivers. The Delawares became a powerful tribe, even after the Iroquois attempted to advance west.
Once the Delawares arrived in Ohio, they began to form an alliance with French fur traders. The Delawares and the French commonly traded items such as pots, guns, and alcohol for furs. The alliance was short-lived as Ohio was becoming an area of land contested by the French and British. As the British were becoming the strongest European nation in the country, the Delawares switched alliances from the French to the British. After the French and Indian War was settled, the Treaty of Paris was signed in 1763. The treaty stipulated that Indian tribes would not be pushed further west by British settlers. They remained in alliance with the British and Americans until the American Revolution.
Delaware Indians were once again forced to move west after the American Revolution. Ohio tribes, including the Delawares, were forced to give up their land in 1794 and 1795. General Anthony Wayne defeated the Ohio Indians at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. In 1860, the Delawares were delegated to Oklahoma Territory, where many members of the Delaware tribe still reside. Other members of the current Delaware tribe officially reside in Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
