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Lenape Lifeways presents a series of videos teaching the Lenape way of life. Learn about the Lenape through our website, programs, books and videos. Visit our website at www.Lenapelifeways.org.

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The Lenape, Lenappe, Lenapi or Lenni Lenape (meaning " the people" or " true people") are a group of several bands of Native American people who share cultural and linguistic traits. They are also known as the Delaware Indians. They spoke two similar languages known as the Delaware languages: Unami and Munsee.

The Lenape lived in the area called Lenapehoking, roughly the area around and between the Delaware and lower Hudson Rivers. These areas are known today as the U.S. states of New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania around the Delaware and Lehigh valleys. They also lived on the north shore of Delaware and much of southeastern New York, mostly the lower Hudson Valley and Upper New York Bay. Nowadays most live in Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Ontario.

Images for kids

Jennie Bobb and her daughter, Nellie Longhat (both Delaware), Oklahoma, 1915

Traditional Confederations of Lenape lands, the Lenapehoking, not showing any of the several divisions governed by matriarchies

Lapowinsa, Chief of the Lenape, Lappawinsoe painted by Gustavus Hesselius in 1735

In Spanish: Lenape para niños

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The Classroom | Empowering Students in Their College Journey

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The Lenni-Lanape are the original inhabitants of present-day New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware; they are also known as the Delaware Indians. The word "Lanape" means "the people," and "Lenni-Lanape" means "true people," or, according to the tribal website of the Delaware Nation, "the godfathers." Today, about 1,600 Lanape people live in four communities in Oklahoma and southern New Jersey.

Land of the People

The Lanape called their land "Lenapehoking," which means "land of the people." They lived on the land in villages of 200 to 300 as well as in small bands of 25 to 50 individuals. Everyone had a job. Men cleared the land, made houses, trapped animals and birds, and in times of war, defended the land from intruders. Women planted and harvested crops, gathered nuts and berries, collected maple sap and boiled it down to make syrup, wove baskets and made clothing and and coverings for shelter from animal hides. Family ties were strong, and lineage was traced through the mother's family. The Lanape had three clans -- Wolf, Turtle and Turkey -- and marrying within one's clan was forbidden.

Lenape Style

The Lenape lived in wigwams, which are domed-shaped shelters framed with sticks and twigs and covered with tree bark and animal hides. They also used animal skins -- primarily deer and beaver -- to make clothing and moccasins. Women wore their hair long -- sometimes in braids -- while men sometimes plucked out all their hair by the roots except for a small spot on the top of the head. Men tattooed themselves with pictures of animals, birds or snakes, while women used paint made with bloodroot and bear grease to adorn their cheeks and foreheads.

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Living Off the Land

Like many eastern woodland tribes, the Lenape relied heavily on the "three sisters" -- maize, beans and squash, for sustenance. They ate corn-on-the-cob, corn and bean patties, soup bread and boiled or baked squash from plates and bowls made from bark and utensils made from wood. The women hung corn, squash and other foods to dry in the hot summer sun and rehydrated these foods in boiling water to get through the long northeastern winters. They also stored dried food in holes dug in the ground and lined with mats and grasses. The Lenape used herbs -- particularly tobacco -- for ritual ceremonies and to heal ailments, such as asthma.

Four Tribal Groups

The Lenape people were forced from their ancestral homelands by the British. Despite being the first Indian tribe to sign a treaty with the American government, most Lanape were relocated to Oklahoma in the mid-1800s. Two bands presently occupy reservations in Oklahoma -- The Delaware Nation and The Delaware Tribe of Indians -- and both are federally recognized Indian tribes. Some Lanape remained in New Jersey and formed two groups: The Naticoke Lanni-Lanape and The Nanticoke Lenni-Lanape Tribal Nation. Both are recognized as Indian tribes by the state of New Jersey, but the federal government recognizes neither of them.

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The Lenni-Lanape are the original inhabitants of present-day New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York and Delaware; they are also known as the Delaware Indians. The word "Lanape" means "the people," and "Lenni-Lanape" means "true people," or, according to the tribal website of the Delaware Nation, "the godfathers."

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Lenape Chief Lapowinsa

Native American Indian Tribes

Site Index

Facts about the Lenape Native Indian Tribe
This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Lenape Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Lenape tribe live, what clothes did they wear and what food did they eat? Discover what happened to the Lenape tribe with facts about their wars and history.

What was the lifestyle and culture of the Lenape tribe?
The Lenape women planted and maintained crops primarily of corn, beans and squash. The men were responsible for hunting and fishing. The Lenape numbered over 20,000 and lived in villages of longhouses containing several hundred people, but in the summer they would build temporary camps consisting of birchbark wigwams (wetu) for purposes of hunting and gathering. Their Lenape tribal lands were encroached by several European nations including the Dutch, French, Swedish and the British and their Native Indian enemies were the Mohawk. Early relationships were friendly and based on strong trading links but with the constant flow of Europeans they became involved in various conflicts which resulted in their migration further and further west.

The Lenape fought against the Dutch in Kieft's War (1643-1645) in which they were subjected to the Pavonia Massacre and the Esopus Wars (1659 - 1663). The Leni Lenape tribe then supported the British throughout the long French and Indian Wars (1688-1763). European diseases and constant warfare took a terrible toll on the numbers of Lenape Native Indians and the people became scattered across many present-day states and Wisconsin and Ontario in Canada. The descendants of the Leni Lenape tribe are known today as the Delaware and Munsee Indians and live across many states, with the largest group living near Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

What language did the Lenape tribe speak?
The Lenape tribe spoke in related dialects of the Algonquian language family, Unami was spoken in the south and Munsee was spoken in the north. The tribe called themselves the 'Leni Lenape' which is derived from the Algonquin words meaning "real men". The colonists and settlers called the people the Delaware tribe reflecting their large settlements along the Delaware River, which was named after Lord de la Ware. The three traditional divisions of the Leni Lenape were the Munsee, Unami, and the Unalactigo who spoke in different dialects and lived in different locations.

The Munsee group were the northernmost group of the Lenape who occupied the area where the Delaware River begins, where Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York come together

The Unami were the central Lenape group who inhabited occupied the northern region and central New Jersey and "Staten Island"

The Unalactigo were southern most Lenape group who lived along both sides of the lower Delaware River, northern Delaware, southeast Pennsylvania, and south Jersey

Where did the Lenape tribe live?
The Lenape are people of the Northeast Woodland Native American cultural group. The location of their tribal homelands are shown on the map. The geography of the region in which they lived dictated the lifestyle and culture of the Lenape tribe.

The Northeast Woodland region extended mainly across the New England States, lower Canada, west to Minnesota, and north of the Ohio River

Land: Lush woodlands, rivers, ocean

Climate: The climate varied according to the location of the tribe

Land Animals: The animals included squirrel, white-tailed deer, raccoon, bears, beavers, moose, and caribou

Fish and Sea Mammals: Whales, Seal, Fish and shell fish

Crops: The crops grown in the area were corn (maize), pumpkin, squash, beans and tobacco

Trees: Poplar, birch, elm, maple, oak, pine, fir trees and spruce

What did the Lenape tribe live in?
The Lenape tribe lived in large villages of Longhouses in the winter. The Munsee villages were heavily fortified with palisades due to attacks by the Mohawks. The Unami and Unalactigo towns were rarely fortified.

The Lenape Wigwam was built in the summer with wooden frames that were covered with woven mats, sheets of birchbark and animal skins. Ropes were wrapped around the wigwam to hold the birch bark in place.

What clothes did the Lenape wear?
The simple clothes worn by the early Lenape tribe are shown in the picture of the Treaty of Penn with the Lenape Native Indians. The Lenape clothes were made from animal skins and included long breechclouts, leggings, long cloaks and shoulder to waist length mantles. These were made from the skins of deer (buckskin) raccoon, otter and beaver. Lenape Women wore wraparound skirts, tunics and cloaks. The Europeans introduced trade cloth to the Lenape tribe who then began to change their traditional style of of dress. Lenape Men removed all facial hair and the men and women often colored their faces with red ocre. Tattooing was also common to both sexes, as were nose rings. Older men wore their hair long, but Lenape warriors usually had a scalp lock decorated with a roach headdress that was often dyed a bright red color. The roach headdress was attached to the scalp-lock and stood straight up from the head like a crest. Sometimes feathers were added as additional decorations..

Lenape History Timeline

8000 BC: Leni Lenape Native Americans occupied New Jersey for thousands of years before European colonization

1609: Henry Hudson was hired by the Dutch East India Company to explore the east coast of North America

1614: The New Netherlands was established

1620: The Great Migration of English colonists and the encroachment of Native Indian lands in New England begins

1634: Epidemics of smallpox and measles are spread by the Europeans

1636: Connecticut was settled by colonists, led by Thomas Hooker

1638: New Sweden colony was established by Peter Minuit along the lower Delaware River from 1638 to 1655. The Lenape in Manhattan sold their lands to Peter Minuit for trade goods worth about 60 guilders (24 dollars)

1639: Willem Kieft arrived in New Netherland to take up his appointment as Governor General of New Netherland

1641: Lenape warriors rebelled against the Dutch when the livestock of colonists destroyed some cornfields of the Raritan Lenape Indians, who lived on Staten Island at the mouth of the Hudson River

1641: Willem Kieft placed a bounty on Raritan scalps, making it profitable for Dutch settlers to kill local Native Indians

1643: Kieft's War (1643-1645) erupted between New Netherland settlers and the native Lenape population in New York

1643: The Pavonia Massacre occurred on February 25, 1643 when Dutch soldiers tortured and murdered Lenape men, women and children. Pavonia was the first European settlement on the west bank of the Hudson River that was part of the province of New Netherland

1643: On October 1, 1643, a force of united Native Indian tribes attacked the homesteads at Pavonia, most of which were burned to the ground.

1647: Peter Stuyvesant is appointed as Willem Kieft's successor

1653: Pavonia became part of the newly formed Commonality of New Amsterdam. Settlers were granted great tracts of Lenape lands

1655: The Dutch conquest of New Sweden

1655: The Peach Tree War. Pavonia was attacked by approximately five hundred Lenape warriors, killing over 100 settlers on September 15, 1655

1659: The Esopus Wars (September 1659 - September 1663) were two localized conflicts between the indigenous Esopus tribe of Lenape Indians and colonialist New Netherlanders in and around Kingston, New York

1664: In September 1664, the Dutch ceded New Netherland to the English

1664: The New Jersey Colony was founded by Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret

1682: The Pennsylvania Colony was founded by William Penn

1682: The Leni Lenape, severly diminished in number by warfare and disease, signed treaties of friendship with William Penn, the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, who established the English colony on the Delaware River. The Quakers spread Christianity amongst the Lenape

1688: The French and Indian Wars (1688-1763) begin marking the outbreak of King William's War (1688-1699) and the western Lenape sided with the French

1702: Queen Anne's War (1702-1713)

1740: Moravian Missions (1740-1837) in Pennsylvania were established by missionaries from Germany

1744: King George's War (1744 - 1748)

1754: French Indian War (1754 - 1763), also known as the 7 year war, was the fourth and final series of conflicts in the French and Indian Wars fought between the British and the French. Both sides were aided by Native Indian allies

1758: The Treaty of Easton between the Lenape and the colonists, required the Lenape to move westward, out of present-day New York and New Jersey and into Pennsylvania, Ohio and Oklahoma

1763: French and Indian War ends in victory for the British ending the colony of New France

1763: The Lenape in Ohio fought the British in Pontiac's Rebellion (1763 - 1766) A shaman known as Delaware Prophet played an important role in the conflict.

1776: The American War of Independence (1775 - 1783)

1778: The Lenape were the first tribe to sign a treaty with the U.S. government at Fort Pitt in 1778 during the American War of Independence

1785: The Lenape supported the Miami tribe in Little Turtle's War (1785 - 1795)

1811: The Lenape supported the Shawnee tribe Tecumseh's Rebellion (1811-1813)

1830: Indian Removal Act

1835 Most of the Lenape tribe in Delaware had been removed to a reservation in Kansas

1845: The population of the Lanape had dropped to less than 2,000 people living in both the United States and Canada.

1867 The Lenape tribe were moved from Kansas to Oklahoma Indian Territory

Lenape History Timeline

Interesting Facts and information about the way the Lenape people lived

The clothes worn by men and women

Description of the homes and the type of food the Lenape would eat

Fast Facts and info about the Lenape

Interesting Homework resource for kids on the history of the Lenape Native American Indians

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Lenape Chief Lapowinsa Native American Indian Tribes Site Index Facts about the Lenape Native Indian Tribe This article contains fast, fun facts and interesting information about the Lenape Native American Indian tribe. Find answers to questions like where did the Lenape tribe live, what clothes did they wear and what food did they eat?

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When European explorers come to South Jersey, the area was inhabited by the Lenape Indians. The area in which they lived was called Lenapehoking and it included all of New Jersey , Eastern Pennsylvania , Southeastern New York State , Northern Delaware and a small part of Connecticut.

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Index of American Indian languages American Indian tribes American Indian crafts
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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Facts for Kids: Lenni Lenape Indian Tribe (Delaware Indians, Lenapes)

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Information about the Delaware or Lenni Lenape Indians of New Jersey for students and teachers. Covers Leni Lenape villages, clothing, food, shelter, culture, and the history of the Lenape tribe.