The Lenape Indians, part of the Algonquin Nation, once lived in the mid-Atlantic region of North America. They were respected as peacemakers and lived in settled communities, building small villages of wigwams or long buildings. Overhunting and exposure to diseases from European settlers led to their relocation to Oklahoma.
The Lenape Indians – also known as the Lennapi, Lenni Lenape and Delaware Indians – once lived in the mid-Atlantic region of North America, in what would become New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Part of the Algonquin Nation, the Lenape Indians were respected as peacemakers, often called upon to negotiate between rival tribes. Despite peace treaties with the US government, the Lenape were repeatedly relocated, with most eventually settling in Oklahoma.
The early Lenape Indians were hunters and gatherers, but they also engaged in agriculture. Men typically were responsible for hunting and fishing, and women looked after the children as they tended the crops. As an agricultural culture, the Lenape lived in settled communities rather than engaging in the nomadic lifestyle of other Native American tribes.
The Lenape built small villages of small round houses called wigwams or long buildings similar to those made by the Iroquois. Villages usually included a lodge and council house, and many villages were protected by wooden palisades. The Lenape Indians did not build teepees like those used on the plains of the Midwest.
In the early 17th century, when European settlers first settled the Mid-Atlantic region, the Lenape Indians were eager to supply beaver pelts to the Dutch in exchange for European goods. Unfortunately for the Lenape, they overhunted the beaver population and the Dutch looked elsewhere for the pelts. This early interaction with Europeans also exposed the Lenape to diseases such as smallpox and measles, which were often fatal.
Native Americans and Europeans had widely dissimilar ideas of property and ownership, leading to confusion regarding land. The Lenape viewed treaties with Europeans as leases or agreements to be shared, rather than the purchase agreements envisioned by the Dutch and British. Over the course of the 17th century, the Lenape lost territory as European settlement of the land strained its remaining resources.
The resettlement of the Lenape began with the Treaty of Easton in 1758. American settlers forced the Lenape out of New Jersey and New York. The Lenape Indians were sent to Pennsylvania, Ohio or even farther into the wilds of the West.
Relations soured with the American colonists. During the French and Indian War, the Lenape fought on the side of the French. Despite negotiations with the British, the colonists continued to attack and kill Lenape even after the war ended. Even so, the Lenape Indians were the first Native American tribe to sign a treaty with the new US government during the American Revolution.
In 1860, the Lenape were relocated again, this time to Oklahoma. Both the Deleware Nation and the Delaware Tribe of Indians were established in Oklahoma at this time. In the early 21st century, most Lenape live in Oklahoma. A small group of Lenape fled to Canada, where the Delaware Nation in Moraviantown and the Munsee-Delaware Nation were founded.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
