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Why do we write a Land Acknowledgement? 

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Why do we write a Land Acknowledgement? 

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Native Governance Center co-hosted an Indigenous land acknowledgment event with the Lower Phalen Creek Project on Indigenous Peoples' Day 2019 (October 14). The event featured the following talented panelists: Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Dakota and Muskogee Creek), Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe), Rose Whipple (Isanti Dakota and Ho-Chunk), Rhiana Yazzie (Diné), and Cantemaza (Neil) McKay (Spirit Lake Dakota). We've created this handy guide to Indigenous land acknowledgment based on our panelists' responses.

Why is Indigenous Land Acknowledgment Important?

"It is important to understand the longstanding history that has brought you to reside on the land, and to seek to understand your place within that history. Land acknowledgements do not exist in a past tense, or historical context: colonialism is a current ongoing process, and we need to build our mindfulness of our present participation."
- Northwestern University

"When we talk about land, land is part of who we are. It's a mixture of our blood, our past, our current, and our future. We carry our ancestors in us, and they're around us. As you all do."
- Mary Lyons (Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe)

Tips for Creating an Indigenous Land Acknowledgment Statement

Key components:

Start with self-reflection. Before starting work on your land acknowledgment statement, reflect on the process:

Why am I doing this land acknowledgment? (If you're hoping to inspire others to take action to support Indigenous communities, you're on the right track. If you're delivering a land acknowledgment out of guilt or because everyone else is doing it, more self-reflection is in order.)

What is my end goal? (What do you hope listeners will do after hearing the acknowledgment?)

When will I have the largest impact? (Think about your timing and audience, specifically.)

Do your homework. Put in the time necessary to research the following topics:

The Indigenous people to whom the land belongs.

The history of the land and any related treaties.

Names of living Indigenous people from these communities. If you're presenting on behalf of your work in a certain field, highlight Indigenous people who currently work in that field.
Indigenous place names and language.

Correct pronunciation for the names of the Tribes, places, and individuals that you're including.

Use appropriate language. Don't sugarcoat the past. Use terms like genocide, ethnic cleansing, stolen land, and forced removal to reflect actions taken by colonizers.

Use past, present, and future tenses. Indigenous people are still here, and they're thriving. Don't treat them as a relic of the past.

Land acknowledgments shouldn't be grim. They should function as living celebrations of Indigenous communities. Ask yourself, "How am I leaving Indigenous people in a stronger, more empowered place because of this land acknowledgment?" Focus on the positivity of who Indigenous people are today.

Additional factors to consider:

Don't ask an Indigenous person to deliver a "welcome" statement for your organization. Cantemaza McKay (Spirit Lake Nation) explains this very clearly. Check out our land acknowledgment event livestream, and hear his comments at the 27-minute mark.

Build real, authentic relationships with Indigenous people. In addition to normal employment and family obligations, Indigenous people are working to heal their traumas, learn their languages, and support their nations. If you reach out for help, lead the conversation by asking an Indigenous person what you can do for them. Chances are, they're likely overworked and could use your help.

Compensate Indigenous people for their emotional labor. If you do plan to reach out to an Indigenous person or community for help, compensate them fairly. Too often, Indigenous people are asked to perform emotional labor for free.

Understand displacement and how that plays into land acknowledgment. Land acknowledgment is complicated. Remember that the United States government displaced many Tribes from land before treaties were signed.

There are many types of land acknowledgments. Don't expect to find a specific formula or template. Land acknowledgments that come from Indigenous people vs. non-Indigenous people look different, too.

Take action:

Land acknowledgment alone is not enough. It's merely a starting point. Ask yourself: how do I plan to take action to support Indigenous communities? Some examples of ways to take action:

Support Indigenous organizations by donating your time and/or money.

Support Indigenous-led grassroots change movements and campaigns. Encourage others to do so.

Commit to returning land. Local, state, and federal governments around the world are currently returning land to Indigenous people. Individuals are returning their land, too. Research your options to return your land.

At the end of the day, remember:

Starting somewhere is better than not trying at all. We need to share in Indigenous peoples' discomfort. They've been uncomfortable for a long time. Dr. Kate Beane (Flandreau Santee Dakota and Muskogee Creek) says, "We have to try. Starting out with good intentions and a good heart is what matters most."

Visit our resources page for more helpful land acknowledgment tools! And read our own land acknowledgment statement: The Land We're On.

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A guide to Indigenous land acknowledgment

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After hosting an Indigenous land acknowledgment event, we put together this written guide to based on our panelists' responses.

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New York Native American Tribes and Languages

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New York Native American Tribes and Languages

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Native Languages Native Cultures What's new on our site today!
Welcome to our New York State Facts section, part of an educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each New York tribe, or scroll below the map for New York Indian activities including a map of New York reservations, a wordsearch, fact sheets, and words from the Native American languages of New York. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

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American Indians in New York
Original inhabitants of the area that is now New York: Other Indian tribes that migrated into New York later: The Tuscarora Indians

But weren't there Algonquin Indians in New York state?
No, the Algonquin people live in Canada. They were never in New York.

The people who speak about "New York Algonquins" have confused the wordAlgonquins with the word Algonquians.Algonquian is a general term which is used to refer to dozens of tribes with related languages. Algonquin people speak an Algonquian language, but so do Chippewa and Cheyenne people.

Algonquian-speaking tribes in New York include the Mohican, Mohegan, Munsee Delaware, Abenaki, and Poospatuck tribes listed above.
There are eight federally recognized Indian tribes in New York today.

Here are the addresses of New York's Indian reservations:

1 Cayuga Nation of Indians:
PO Box 11
Versailles, NY 14168

2 Oneida Indian Nation:
Genesee Street
Oneida, NY 13421
http://www.oneidanation.org/

3 Onondaga Nation:
Rt. 1 Box 270A
Nedrow, NY 13120

4 St. Regis Band of Mohawk Indians:
Community Building
Hogansburg, NY 13655

5, 6 & 7 Seneca Nation:
PO Box 231
Salamanca, NY 14779
http://www.sni.org/

8 Tonawanda Band of Senecas:
7027 Meadville Rd
Basom, NY 14013

9 Tuscarora Nation:
5616 Walmore Rd
Lewiston, NY 14092

10 Shinnecock Indian Nation:
PO Box 5006
Southampton, NY 11969

Teaching and learning activities about New York Native American tribes:
Feel free to print these out to use at school!

New York Tribes Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of New York's Indian tribes.
New York Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native New York languages.
New York Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of New York animals.
New York Indian Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the tribes of New York.
We currently have pages for theMohawk, Oneida,Onondaga, Cayuga,Seneca, Tuscarora,Abenaki,
Munsee,Mohegan,Montauk,Shinnecock,Mohican andWappinger tribes.
Recommended books about New York Native Americans
(Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links)
New York Native Peoples:
Good book introducing New York's Native American history and culture to kids.
New York Indians:
Another book on New York tribes for kids.
Conspiracy of Interests:
Interesting book about the colonial history of the Iroquois tribes in New York State.
Unearthing Gotham:
An excellent book about New York City's history that includes good material about local Indian tribes.
Encyclopedia of New York Indians:
Comprehensive compilation about the Indians of New York.
Manhattan to Minisink: American Indian Place Names of Greater New York:
The Native American etymology of various New York place names.

Other Indian tribes, bands and communities remaining in New York today include:
Shinnecock Tribe:
Route 27-A, Montauk Highway
Southampton, NY 11968
http://www.shinnecocknation.com/

Unkechaug Indian Nation of Poospatuck Indians:
PO Box 86
Mastic, Long Island, NY 11950

Other resources about American Indian history, culture and society in New York state:
The Six Nations:
Interesting historical and cultural information about the Iroquois tribes of New York.
Indigenous Place Names in the Adirondacks and Champlain Valley:
Map of Native placenames in Vermont and New York, with audio files of their pronunciation.

Sponsored Links:

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Back to our index of Indian tribes by state
Back to our Native American links for kids

American Indians American Indian plants Turquoise jewelry

Would you like to sponsor our nonprofit work on New York languages?

Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2020

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Native Languages Native Cultures What's new on our site today! Welcome to our New York State Facts section, part of an educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states.

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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.

Return to Native Americans for Children
Return to our menu of Native American cultures
Return to the Native American dictionary

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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.

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Who were the Lenape Native Americans of New Jersey and Pennsylvania? Following years of conversation and relationships with Native people, Rob Aptaker gives students the opportunity to explore the tools, clothing, toys, games medicine and music that have historically been a part of their daily lives, building a picture of pre-colonial life.Program options:In-personPlease fill out this inquiry form or call 866-500-9265 for more information.

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Native Americans Return to New York | More in Common

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Personalities of the Peninsula: The Many Talents of Beedoskah Stonefish | The Ticker

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Personalities of the Peninsula: The Many Talents of Beedoskah Stonefish

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Peshawbestown’s Beedoskah Stonefish, a member of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians, grew up steeped in the traditional Anishinaabe ways. Stonefish has been fancy shawl dancing since she could walk, and later traveled with her parents and siblings to compete in pow pows across th…

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© 2023 92nd Street Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association.
All Rights Reserved. An Agency of UJA-Federation.
Funding for Dance Education Laboratory is provided by Jody and John Arnhold.

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Sample Lesson Plan Grades K-2: Native American History in NYC - Roots to Branches - Dance Education Laboratory

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Download the DEL website TF M1 K-2 Lesson-4 sample lesson. In this short video Beedoskah Stonefish and Desmond Madera will teach you two contemporary Native American PowWow dances, the Fancy Shawl Dance and Grass Dance. ﻿

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The Lenni Lenape are a Native American people who originally lived in a large area around the Atlantic coast of the United States. They call themselves the Lenape (meaning "real people"), but they came to be known as the Delaware because that is what the English settlers called them.

The Lenni Lenape originally lived in a huge territory that included what are now New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware. Lenni Lenape men fished and hunted deer, elk, bear, and beaver. Women planted fields of corn, beans, squash, and other crops. The women also made clothing, baskets, and pottery.

The Lenni Lenape built dome-shaped houses called wickiups that they covered with tree bark. They also built large structures made of wood and bark called longhouses. Each autumn, people gathered at the longhouses for a 12-day ceremony. During the Big House ritual, the Lenni Lenape thanked their Creator for their latest harvest. The Big House ceremony was performed until the 1900s.

In the early 1600s white settlers began arriving in Lenni Lenape territory. They carried diseases, such as smallpox and measles, that killed many tribe members.

Europeans also forced the Lenni Lenape to give up much of their land. In the 1780s many Lenni Lenape moved to Ontario, Canada. The Lenni Lenape who stayed in the United States moved west. In the mid-1800s the government forced them to move to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).

In the early 21st century, there were more than 16,000 Lenni Lenape. Most live in the states of Oklahoma and Wisconsin and in the province of Ontario.

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The Lenni Lenape are a Native American people who originally lived in a large area around the Atlantic coast of the United States. They call themselves the Lenape (meaning "real people"), but they came to be known as the Delaware because that is what the English settlers called them.

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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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he Lenape ("len-AH-pay") belonged to the Algonquin-language group of Native Americans. They were widely respected by other Algonquin tribes as settlers of disputes.

Lenape men were expert hunters and fishermen, while Lenape women farmed. This division of labor caused cultural confusion when Europeans arrived. From the European point of view, farming was real work, while hunting and fishing were just recreational sports.

Therefore, some Europeans viewed Lenape men as lazy, letting their women do all the work. Many of the Lenape, meanwhile, wondered why European men did women's work like farming.

The Lenape used a money system of their own invention called "wampum." To make wampum, they sewed tiny black, purple, and white beads made from seashells into belts. A large belt contained thousands of beads. Black and purple beads were worth twice as much as white beads. The Lenape (also called the Lenni-Lenape) used wampum in ceremonies, as diplomatic gifts, and for trading with the Europeans.

Since European governments forbade colonists to produce their own currency in the New World, Dutch and British merchants there also adopted wampum as a system of money. At one point, the Dutch -- eager to improve their profits -- produced their own wampum in Holland, hoping to use it back in New Amsterdam to trade with the natives. The Lenape, however, considered this wampum counterfeit and refused to honor it.

Illustration of a Lenape wampum belt

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PBS Kids: Learning Adventures in Citizenship: The Early Years: The Lenape

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he Lenape ("len-AH-pay") belonged to the Algonquin-language group of Native Americans. They were widely respected by other Algonquin tribes as settlers of disputes. Lenape men were expert hunters and fishermen, while Lenape women farmed. This division of labor caused cultural confusion when Europeans arrived.