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Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Resources on the Lenape Indians

If you are studying the Lenni Lenape Indian population at the time of the early European explorers, you'll want to check into the following books and others at the Matawan Aberdeen Public Library:
  • The Lenapes, by Robert S Brumet of the US Department of Parks (1989) (975.1 Gr) 
  • The Indians of New Jersey: Dickon Among the Lenapes, by Dr M R Harrington (1966, 1938) (YA 970.974 Ha)
  • William Penn's Own Account of the Lenni Lenape or Delaware Indians, tercentenary edition, edited, and with an introduction by Albert Cook Myers. (1970) (970.3 Pe)
  • On History's Trail, by William M E Hess (1973) (NJ 974.948 He) This book, meant to focus on Point Pleasant, is in three parts. Book 1 happens to have five detailed chapters on local Indian culture: Chapter III. The Natives, Chapter IV. The Walam Olum, Chapter V. Indian Language, Chapter VII Wampum, and Food. Interesting local maps include New York and Perth Amboy harbors (p 31) and New Jersey in 1676 (p 34).
  • The English on the Delaware, 1610-1682, by C A Weslager (1967) (975.1 We) This book has four chapters that mention the Lenape in present day southern New Jersey, Delaware, and southeastern Pennsylvania: Chapter 3. Sir John Harvey "Discovers" the Delaware River, Chapter 4. Thomas Yong "Discovers" the Delaware River, Chapter 5. The Swedes Come to the Delaware, Chapter 7. New Haven Settles on the Delaware, and Chapter 14. Conclusion.
  • Colonial Delaware, by Gardell Dano Christiansen and Eugenia Burney (1974) (975.1 Ch) Only Chapter 1: A Changing World discusses the Lenape.
I found these books helpful on Native Americans but not at all useful on the Lenape:
  • Native America: Portrait of the Peoples, by Duane Champagne (1994) (970 Ch) is a large (786 p), colorful reference on the Indians of North America but provides nothing on the Lenape Indians. The book is short on history and long on Indian culture, treaty violations, and current day life for Native Americans. 
  • Dispossessing The American Indian, by Wilbur R Jacobs (1972) (970.5 Ja) has no content on the Lenape in particular but quotes Henry Thoreau in several important spots. Jacobs may have been influenced by the environmentalist movement, which was raging at the time of the book's writing.

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