Native Americans of New Jersey: The Lenape (Delaware) People

Lenapehoking: Lenape Homeland Included New Jersey

👥 The Lenape (Delaware)

• Algonquian-speaking.
• Territory: Lower Hudson, Delaware Valley, NJ, E. PA, N. DE, parts of NY.
• 20+ bands: Hackensack, Raritan, Tappan, Aquackanonk, Minsi, Unami, Unalachtigo.
• Matrilineal clans (Turkey, Turtle, Wolf).

🏘️ Lifestyle

• Seasonal: riverine farming (corn, beans, squash) + hunting/fishing/gathering.
• Wigwams, longhouses. Trade networks (wampum, furs, copper).
• First contact: Verrazzano (1524), Hudson (1609).

⬇️ Displacement

• Dutch/Kieft's War (1640s), English takeover (1664).
• Walking Purchase (1737) fraud.
• Forced west: Pennsylvania → Ohio → Indiana → Kansas → Oklahoma.
• Today: Federally recognized tribes in OK, WI, ON (Canada).

⚠️ Powhatan Note

Powhatan Confederacy = Virginia (Jamestown area). Not NJ. Southern border only.