By Shannon Byrne
Special Features Editor

The Neshaminy community has a rich history in Native American Culture. The Lenni Lenape Tribe, also referred to as the Delaware Indians, occupied the land called Lenapehoking. This land expanded all the way from northern Delaware to southeastern New York and from the Atlantic Ocean to the forests in Eastern Pennsylvania.

The name Lenni Lenape translates to “true men” or “original people.” They are called the original people because many of the traditions of the Algonquin Indian Tribes say that the Lenape homeland was the original birthplace of these Algonquin Indians. This is why the Lenape’s are referred to as their “grandfather” tribe by various other tribes.

They acquired the name Delaware Indians from English colonists in the Delaware Valley. Captain Samuel Argall coined the name Delaware in honor of Sir Thomas West, Third de la Warr, the governor of Virginia. This term was then used to name the river and the Native Americans who inhabited it.

The Lenni Lenape tribe was made up of three groups called “clans.” These clans were the Turtle, Wolf and Turkey. They were matrilineal, which means that every member traced their decent through their mother’s line and not their father’s.

They have a 130 year history of migration to Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Wisconsin and Kansas. Only some stayed permanently in these areas, but the largest population of the Lenape people went to reservations in Oklahoma and Ontario, Canada after European colonization began.

In the 17th century, the Susquehannock and the Lenape’s had preexisting hostilities that continued to escalate with the presence of the colonists. The Susquehannock wished to eliminate the Lenapes so they could dominate trade with the colonists, more specifically the Dutch and English. This occurred over a five year period.

There was an outbreak of smallpox along the Delaware and Hudson valleys during this war. The Lenape lost half of their original population due to these epidemic and attacks. They were forced to abandon a vast majority of their homeland and became an inferior people. For example, they had to ask the Susquehannocks for permission to sell their land to the Swedes.

However, in the mid 1600’s, a conflict between the Susquehannock and Iroquois erupted and resulted in the defeat of the Susquehannock and the Iroquois taking control of the Lenape tribes. During this time there was another epidemic of disease that affect all of the tribes, including the Lenapes.

The Lenape were eventually allowed to return to the west side of the Delaware, but they were made to be a part of a “covenant chain” with the Iroquois. This covenant chain allowed the Iroquois to speak in council and the Lenape’s were forced to do their bidding. They also had to pay a yearly tribute to the Iroquois.

Despite the low population, the Lenni Lenape people have continued to make a substantial impact on our community both outside and inside of our school.