The Delaware are a Native American people who call themselves the Lenape (meaning “real people”) and are also often referred to as the Lenni Lenape. When the English first encountered the tribe, they called the people the Delaware after the Delaware River, which ran through their territory. The Delaware originally lived in a large area that included portions of the present-day states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware.

Culture and Society

Traditionally, the Delaware occupied many small, independent villages, which they usually built along riverbeds. Surrounding each village were hunting grounds, where men fished and hunted deer, elk, bear, and beaver. Also nearby were fields of corn (maize), beans, squash, and other crops. These were planted and tended by women. The women's other duties included making clothing, baskets, and pottery.

Within most villages, the Delaware were divided into three clans named after the wolf, the turkey, and the turtle. Tribe members belonged to the clan of their mothers.

The Delaware lived in wigwams, which were dome-shaped houses 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 Delaware thanked their creator for their latest harvest. Over time, many Delaware became Christians, though some continued to practice their old religion. The Big House ceremony was performed until the 20th century.

History

In the early 17th century, settlers from England, Sweden, and the Netherlands began arriving in Delaware territory. These Europeans carried diseases, such as smallpox and measles, that killed many tribe members. The Delaware were also threatened as the newcomers started taking over their land. The tribe soon was pushed west into areas that are now Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Europeans forced the Delaware to surrender their territory in dozens of treaties, including the Walking Purchase. This treaty granted the family of William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania, tribal land along the Delaware River “as far as a man can go in one day and a half.” In 1737, Penn's son mapped out the land by hiring athletes to run for one and a half days. The scheme cheated the Delaware out of 1,200 square miles (3,100 square kilometers) of their prime territory.

During the American Revolution (1775–81), some of the Delaware people sided with the American colonists and others sided with the English. In 1778, one group of Delaware became the first Indians to sign a treaty with the U.S. government.

Following the colonists' victory, many pro-English Delaware moved to Ontario, Canada. The Delaware who stayed in the United States gradually headed west as Americans took over their lands. They lived in the present-day states of Indiana, Missouri, and Kansas. In the mid-19th century, they moved to Indian Territory, land that is now in present-day Oklahoma that was set aside for the relocation of American Indian tribes.

By the end of the 20th century, there were about 10,000 Delaware. Most live in scattered communities in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada.