The Metuchen-Edison Historical Society

MORE COMING SOON

From Lenape Lifeways:

The Lenape (len-AH-pay) or Delaware Indians lived in an area they called Lenapehoking, which means Land of the Lenape. Their land included all of what is now New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania, southeastern New York State, northern Delaware and a small section of southeastern Connecticut.  As part of the Eastern Woodlands, Lenapehoking had many rivers, streams and lakes and was densely forested and rich in wildlife.

  

We now know that two related but distinct groups of Indians occupied Lenapehoking; not three as is sometimes stated.  Those living in the northern half (above the Raritan River and the Delaware Water Gap) spoke a Munsee dialect of the Eastern Algonquian Delaware language, while those to the south spoke Unami, a slightly different dialect of the same language.  The beliefs and cultures of these two general groups, although very similar, differed somewhat. For convenience, we will use the word Lenape (common or ordinary people) to refer to both the groups living in Lenapehoking.




Click HERE for a Lenape Talking Dictionary


Native Land Digital, a Canadian not-for-profit organization incorporated in December 2018.