The Delaware Tribe is a Native American group traditionally from the East Coast of the United States. Prior to European contact, they were located in the present-day states of New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. Today, the largest concentration of this ethnic group can be found in Oklahoma, the area in which many Native Americans were relocated in the 1800s.
Also known as the Lenape, the name is derived from the culture's word for “the people.” Following European colonization, the group was referred to by their common name due to its proximity to the Delaware River, named after a British Lord. The Delaware Tribe originally spoke dialects of the Algonquin language group, notably Unami and Munsee.
The Delaware Tribe had a long-standing pattern for surviving off of the environment. They sustained themselves through the planting of corn and beans as well as small amounts of hunting and fishing. Delaware Indians lived in large settlements divided into matriarchal clans that each received land from a unified collective.
European contact was first made in 1524. Early French explorers identified Native Americans near the area now known as having been occupied by the Delaware Tribe. A century later, Dutch settlers began to conduct trade with the Lenape, specifically beaver pelts. In the 1700s, the Lenape Indians were targeted by the Moravian Church for conversion to Christianity. This relationship continued as the Delaware Tribe later moved west.
The tribe's relationship with the American colonists and government was a complicated one. They originally sided with the French during the French and Indian War, but quickly changed sides after the English made gains. The tribe then joined Pontiac's War against the British and ultimately supported the colonists during the American Revolutionary War. Lenape Indians helped supply the Continental Army and recognized the new nation prior to its victory.
In the 1800s, the Lenape were slowly being forced from their lands. Many fled to Ontario in Canada, where reserves were set up for the tribe. Later, the remainder left to reservations established in Oklahoma, then-called Indian Territory. Although the Delaware Tribe did not suffer from the same level of genocide as other American Indians, they were forced to purchase their land in Oklahoma from the Cherokee, leaving a question about whether they were part of the Cherokee Nation or not. This debate was ultimately settled and the Delaware Tribe was found to be a separate entity, but federally recognized.
