Our Tribal History...
The history of our tribe in its homeland goes back over 10,000 years. We are the descendants
of those Nanticoke and Lenape who remained, or returned, to our ancient homeland after many
of our relatives suffered removals and forced migrations to the mid-western United States or into
Canada.
Our Lenape ancestors were those who inhabited New Jersey, Delaware, southern New York
and eastern Pennsylvania at the time the Europeans came. We called ourselves "LenniLenape," which literally means "Men of Men", but is translated to mean "Original People." From
the early 1600's, the European settlers called the Lenape people "Delaware Indians." Three
main dialect clans, each made up of smaller independent but interrelated communities,
extended from the northern part of our ancient homeland at the headwaters of the Delaware
River down to the Delaware Bay. The Munsee (People of the Stony Country) lived in the north.
The Unami (People Down River) and the Unalachtigo (People Who Live Near the Ocean)
inhabited the central and southern areas of the homeland of the Lenni-Lenape.
The peace loving Lenni-Lenape are called the "grandfathers" or "ancient ones" by many other
tribes and are considered to be among the most ancient of the Northeastern Nations, spawning
many of the tribes along the northeastern seaboard. We were known as warriors and diplomats,
often keeping the peace and mediating disputes between our neighboring Native Nations and
were admired by European colonist for our hospitality and mediation skills.
Our Nanticoke ancestors, called the "Tidewater People," dwelled along the Indian River in
Southeastern Delaware, having migrated from the Nanticoke River of the Eastern Shore of
Maryland. Our Nanticoke ancestors were among the first of the Northeastern Indian Nations to
resist European colonial intrusion into our homeland as early as the 1650's.
A little known fact is that as early as 1704, our ancestors living in the Delmarva Peninsula, who
had lived there for thousands of years, were restricted to the Chicone (Chiconi), Broad Creek
and Indian River Reservations by the British colonial governments. Also, the first and only
Indian Reservation in New Jersey, the Brotherton Reservation in Burlington County (17581802), which was intended to be a safe haven for some of our ancestors. All of these
reservations failed to protect our people and were disbanded, leaving our ancestors to struggle
to maintain what bits of our ancient homeland that they could.
Nanticoke migration began in the 1600's from the Eastern Shore of Maryland through
Southeastern Delaware. By the 1800's, many were living along the banks and tributaries of the
Delaware River. As a result of this migration, Nanticoke people united with the Lenni-Lenape
Indians who remained in New Jersey. It was difficult during those years to maintain community,
but the Tribe persevered. Many of our ancestors embraced Christianity, starting at a time when
the Europeans appeared to be no great threat, yet we have not forgotten or devalued our
ancient ways and still honor our ancestor's legacy. In fact, it has been through several tribal
congregations that we have been able to preserve our culture and tribal government, maintain
ties with our related tribal communities in Kent and Sussex Counties in Delaware, and defend
our people.
The first treaty that was signed by the United States government, after its Declaration of
Independence, was with the Lenni-Lenape (also called "Delawares") in 1778 during the
Revolutionary War. The revolutionary government promised that if the "Delawares" helped their
fight against the British, they would be given statehood in the future... a promise that was not
kept. Because of continuing conflict with European settlers encroaching upon Tribal lands, many
of the Tribe's members were killed or removed from their homelands. Some were able to
continue to live in the homeland, however, they lived in constant fear. Those who remained
survived through attempting to adapt to the dominant culture, becoming farmers and tradesmen.
The Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776... The United States Constitution was
adopted in 1787 with the Bill of Rights being ratified in 1791. However, only since an 1879 U.S.
Federal Court decision have American Indians been considered "persons within the meaning of
the law" ... It was not until 1924 that Congress recognized Native American people as citizens of
the United States... And, it was not until 1978 that Congress signed into law the "American
Indian Religious Freedom Act," giving the Native Americans the right to practice their religious
beliefs. With the protections of the "American Indian Religious Freedom Act" emboldening our
people to be far more assertive on behalf of our tribe, the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe
established a tribally governed 501(c)3 non-profit community benefit agency, "The Nanticoke
Lenni-Lenape Indians of New Jersey," which is chartered exclusively for educational, social, and
cultural purposes, to promote the welfare of Native Americans who reside in the Delaware
Valley; to extend charity in all forms to those Native Americans in need, giving priority to
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians residing in the Delaware Valley; to establish cultural and
instructional facilities; to improve health and welfare, housing, human rights, and economic
security; to acquire and preserve land and water areas in a natural scenic or open condition
consistent with the heritage of the Native Americans who reside in the Delaware Valley.