Religion and ceremonies of the Lenape

This paper is the first in a series about the Lenape or Delaware Indians, who were once a large group of three closely related tribes. Originally from areas now part of New Jersey, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, and southeastern New York, their population has declined to around 1900 individuals living in scattered communities across Oklahoma, Ontario (Canada), Wisconsin, and Kansas.The main sources of information for this series are the Lenape in Oklahoma, with key informants including Chief Charley Elkhair, Julius Fox, Minnie Fox, William Brown, Chief James Wolf, Chief Nellis F. Timothy, Isaac Monture, Chief Nellis Monture, Michael Anthony, and Monroe Pheasant. The writer also acknowledges contributions from Julius Fox, Chief Timothy, and Ernest Spybuck, a Shawnee, who provided paintings of Delaware ceremonies.The writer collected information between 1907 and 1910 for the Heye Museum of New York (now the Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation) by utilizing previous works and archaeological findings in the Lenape's ancient territory. Some Canadian data were gathered earlier while working for Mr. E. T. Tefft of New York, whose collection is now in the American Museum of Natural History.Acknowledging limitations in not being a philologist and not knowing the various dialects of the Delaware language, the writer attempted to record Lenape words as heard, relying on interpreters, which may result in inaccuracies. The provided alphabet for Lenape words is used throughout the text. Read more