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The Lenni Lenape, a brief history
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European settlers referred to them as the Delaware Indians, but the Native Americans who once peopled the banks of the Delaware River called themselves the Lenni Lenape.
A peace-loving tribe, the Lenni Lenapes were members of the Algonquian language group. Words such as tomahawk, hominy and succotash derive from the Algonquin language.
Unlike Native peoples living far to the west, the Lenni Lenape did not have to roam to find food. They farmed the fertile soil of the river valley, planting corn, squash and beans. They introduced these foods to the European settlers. Game such as turkey and rabbit was plentiful as was fish from the river.
A matriarchal society where women could own lands and homes, families lived in long, communal houses known as longhouses.
In the early 1680s, William Penn is said to have made a treaty with the Lenni Lenape, a peace accord to be honored until Penn's death. Some controversy exists over the very existence of the treaty. See http://www.penntreatymuseum.org.html
Over time, warfare with other tribes and European diseases led to the decline of the Lenni Lenape. And today, most remaining Lenni Lenape make their home in Oklahoma and Kansas.
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