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Native American Facts For Kids was written for young people learning about the Lenni Lenapes for school or home-schooling reports. We encourage students and teachers to look through our mainLenape language andculture pages for more in-depth information about the tribe, but here are our answers to the questions we are most often asked by children, with Lenni Lenape pictures and links we believe are suitable for all ages.

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Lenape Tribe

Lenape is pronounced "Leh-NAH-pay" and it means "the people." Sometimes you will see this name spelled Lenápe or Lenapi instead. The tribe is also known as theLenni Lenape ("regular people") or the Delaware Indians (after the Delaware River, which runs through Lenni Lenape territory.)

The Lenni Lenapes were original people of the mid-Atlantic area. Here are some maps showing the geography of the Lenapes and their neighbors inNew Jersey,Delaware,New York andPennsylvania. Most Lenape Indians were driven out of their homeland by the British. Here is a partial map of theforced travels of the Lenape Indians. The Americans eventually relocated them to Oklahoma, where the modern Delaware Indian tribes are located today. Other Lenape people joined theNanticoke orMunsee Delawares. There are also some small Lenne Lenape communities remaining in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The total Lenape population is around 16,000.

There are two federally recognized Lenape tribes in Oklahoma: the Delaware Tribe of Indians and the Delaware Tribe of Western Oklahoma. Like most Native American tribes, the Delaware Indian tribes areautonomous. That means each tribe has its own government, laws, police, and services, just like a small country. However, the Delawares are also US citizens and must obey American law.

Lenni Lenapes in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are not officially recognized as tribes by the United States. That means they do not have reservation land or their own governmental system, though they still practice the Lenape culture.

Lenape Indians all speak English today. Only a few Lenape elders still speak their nativeLenape language (also known as Unami.) But some young Lenape people are working to learn their ancient language again. If you'd like to know some easyLenape words, "he" (rhymes with "day") is a friendly greeting and "wanishi" (pronunciation wah-nish-ee) means "thank you." You can listen to a Lenape woman talk in her languagehere and read a Lenape picture glossaryhere.

There is a good overview of the Lenni Lenape way of livinghere. You can learn more about modern Lenape people from theDelaware Tribe of Indians, who are the largest group of Lenni-Lenape descendants today.

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They do the same things any children do--play with each other, go to school and help around the house. Many Lenape children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play, just like early colonial children. But Lenape kids did havedolls and toys such as miniature bows and arrow s. Lenape games for teenagers and adults included lacrosse, which was played only by boys and men, and a kicking football game, which both genders played together. Leni Lenape mothers traditionally carried their babies inNative cradleboards on their backs--a custom which many American parents haveadopted now.

What were men and women's roles in the Lenni Lenape tribe?

Lenape men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Lenape women were farmers and also did most of the child care and cooking. Both genders took part in storytelling, music and the arts, and traditional medicine. In the pa st, Lenape chiefs were always men, but today a Delaware Indian woman could be chief too.

The Lenni Lenapes didn't live in tepees. They lived in villages of round houses calledwigwams. Some Lenape Indians preferredIroquoian-style longhouses to wigwams, because more family members could live in a longhouse. Here are some pictures ofwigwams and longhouses. Each Lenni Lenape village usually included a rectangular council house and a sweat lodge, and some villages werepalisaded (surrounded with log walls for protection).

Today, Native Americans only build a wigwam for fun or to connect with their heritage, not for shelter. Most Lenapes live in modern houses and apartment buildings, just like you.

Lenape women wore knee-length skirts. Lenape men wore breechcloths and leggings. Here is a website with some pictures of what aNative American breechcloth looks like. Shirts were not necessary in the Lenape culture, but the Lenapes did wear deerskin mantles when the weather was cool. Both genders wore earrings anddeerskin moccasins on their feet. In colonial times, the Lenapes adapted European costume such as cloth blouses and jackets, decorating them with fancy beadwork. Here are somepictures of Lenni Lenape clothing, and some photos and links aboutNative American clothing in general.

The Lenni Lenape didn't wear long headdresses like theSioux tribe. Usually they wore abeaded headband with a feather or two in it. Sometimes a chief or other important Lenape Indian would wear a high headdress made of many feathers pointing straight up from a headband, similar tothis Wabanaki one. The Lenni Lenapes painted their faces with different colors and designs for different occasions, and Lenape men often woretattoos in animal designs. Lenape women wore their hair in long braids. Lenape men, especially warriors, often wore aMohawk hairstyle or shaved their heads completely except for ascalplock in the middle. Here is a website with pictures of theseWhat was Lenni Lenape food like in the days before supermarkets?
The Delaware Indians were farming people. Lenape women did most of the farming, harvesting corn, squash and beans. Lenape men went hunting for deer, elk, turkeys, and small game, and caught fish in the rivers and inlets. Delaware Indian foods included soup, cornbread, dumplings and salads. Here is a website with more information abouttraditional Indian hairstyles.

Today, some Lenape people still have a traditional headband or moccasins, but they wear modern clothes like jeans instead of breechclot hs... and they only wear feathers in their hair on special occasions like a dance.

Yes, the Lenni Lenape tribe used bark and dugout canoes to travel on the Delaware River and the East Coast. Since they moved to Oklahoma, however, Lenape traditions ofcanoe-building have mostly been lost. Over land, the Lenapes used dogs as pack animals. (There were no horses in North America until Europeans brought them here.) Lenape Indians used sleds and snowshoes to help them travel in the winter. Today, of course, Lenape people also use cars... and non-native people also use canoes.

Woodland Indian food.

Lenape hunters used bows and arrows. Lenape warriors wielded heavy wooden war clubs, and also carried body-length shields of moosehide and wood. Here is a website with pictures and information aboutNative American war clubs. Other tools that were commonly made and used by Lenape people included clay pottery, likethis, and wooden hoes used for agriculture.

The Lenape tribe is known for theirNative American beadwork andbasketry products. Like other eastern Native Americans, the Leni Lenape also craftedwampum out of white and purple shell beads. Wampum beads were traded as a kind of currency, but they were more culturally important as an art material. Thesymbols and pictures on wampum belts often told a story or represented a person's family.

The two most important Lenape instruments aredrums andflutes. Lenape drums were usually large and several men would play them together at tribal festivals and ceremonies. Flutes were carved from wood are were most often used to play love songs. Here is avideo of drummers performing a song at the Lenni Lenape pow wow.

What other Native Americans did the Lenni Lenape tribe interact with?
The Lenape Indians were close relatives of theNanticoke andMunsee Delaware tribes. These tribes were never united into a single confederacy, but they all considered themselves Delaware Indians. The Delaware tribes traded regularly with all the other New England Indians, especially theWampanoag andMohican Indians, and they often fought with the powerfulIroquois League.

There are many traditional Lenni Lenape legends and fairy tales. Storytelling is very important to the Lenape Indian culture. Here's one legend aboutCan you recommend a good book for me to read?
You may ehow the crow got black feathers. Here's a website where you can read more about Lenape mythology.

Spirituality and religion were important parts of Lenape life, and some people continue to practice traditional beliefs today. It is respectful to a vo id imitating religious rituals for school projects since some Lenape people care about them deeply. You can read and learn about them, however. You can visit this site to learn more aboutLenape beliefs or this site aboutNative American Indian beliefs in general.

nj oy Legends of the Delaware Indians, which is a nice collection of Lenape legends compiled by a Delaware Indian author. If you want to know more about Lenape history and culture, two interesting sources areThe Lenape Indians of Pennsylvania (for younger kids) andThe Delaware Indians (for slightly older kids). You can also browse through our reading list of recommended Native American books for kids. Disclaimer: we are an Amazon affiliate and our website earns a commission if you buy a book through one of these links. Most of them can also be found in a public library, though!

You will need to ask your teacher for the format he or she wanted you to use. The authors' names are Laura Redish and Orrin Lewis and the title of our site is Native Languages of the Americas. We are a nonprofit educational organization wor king to preserve and protect Native American languages and culture. You can learn more about our organizationhere. Our website was first created in 1998 and last updated in 2020.

Thanks for your interest in the Lenni Lenape Indian people and their language!

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Lenape Indian Tribe
An overview of the Leni Lenape people, their language and history.

Lenape Language Resources
Lanape language samples, articles, and indexed list of links.

Lenape Delaware History and Culture
Related links about the Lenni Lenape people past and present.

Lenape Words
Lenape Indian vocabulary lists.

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Return to the Native American dictionary

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