Delaware Tribe American Culture

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Lenape Indians most know as Delaware lived in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. This group is one of the oldest tribes this tribe first contact with Europeans was in 1524 since then they had problems with white people because of diseases or war even slavery. This old tribe exist nowadays and it is located in Oklahoma with a small population of 10,500 people and they are a federally recognized tribe today. Today I will talk about their society, languages, participation in war and history.

First let’s start with their society most men in this tribe were hunters and most of the time went to war when need it. By the other hand Lenape women were the ones that did the farm jobs, the child care and cooking. Also both parts took part in creation
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In some point since the intrusion of the British they needed to adapt some European costume like blouses and jackets. This tribe transportation was based on dugout canoes mostly use to travel in Delaware river but they also use dogs packs until the Europeans brought horses to the new world then for centuries that was their method of earth transportation. In the heavy winter they used to wear sleds and snowshoes to help them walk in the heavy winter. The main source of alimentation of this old tribe was corn, squash, deer, elk, turkey and fish since they were great farmers and great hunters. Since they have some problems with other tribes or with the new people from the old world they had to defend themselves with bows and arrows. Also the strongest ones the warriors of the tribe used wooden war clubs and carried body- length shields made out of wood and with moose skin for cushion. This tribe …show more content…
In addition Europeans wanted land and food in exchanges of this two Lenape received iron axes, cloth, copper kettles, bells, glass, beads, mirrors And liquor. Because of this the hostilities from this trades were increased. Also Europeans introduce diseases from which the Lenape had no immunities which cause a considerable decrease of native population and smallpox was one of the worst disease that were considered by the lenapes a punish from gods. In that time alcohol was a mayor issue for Indians too that contributed to the further decline of them. By the 1750 Lenape lost 90% of their people making them to move to the west to Ohio and into New York and Canada. Then war divided them and finally Lenape sold their remaining lands and moved out to Oklahoma where the majority of the Lenape live