The Lenni Lenape, or Delaware Indians

The address surveys the Lenni Lenape people of the Delaware Valley, tracing the etymology of regional names and describing three subtribes with their totem animals. It presents origin legends and migration accounts preserved in sources like the Walam Olum, summarizes beliefs about creation and a flood preserved in oral tradition, and discusses physical appearance, dwelling types, subsistence by hunting and fishing, and cultural practices such as wampum record-keeping. The narrative draws on nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century sources to combine ethnographic observation, folklore, and historical anecdote into a concise portrait of Lenape society and their ties to the New Jersey landscape.