today, originally formed as collection of thirteen colonies under Great Britain's rule. Prior to the establishment of British colonies in the early 17" century, other people occupied and thrived off of the land. Various Native American tribes called the land we now know as New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware home. The Lenape (len-AH-pay) was one such group that inhabited these Middle Atlantic states. Although the Native American tribe existed for centuries before European explorers and settlers arrived, the group has received little attention in the historical record.
Who are the Lenape?
The Lenape, also sometimes referred to as the Lenni Lenape, Leni Lenape, or Delaware, lived in an area that spanned across the Middle Atlantic states from Delaware to New York. The tribe was broken into three groups - the northem Munsee people, the central Unami people, and the southern Nanticokes.
Different languages and matrilineal clans also distinguished the three groups from one another. In the years before contact with European explorers and settlers, the Lenape consisted of tens of thousands of people. The Lenape were considered peaceful and resourceful people. They were well-known for their ability to keep the peace between tribes and for their generosity towards the European settlers. The Lenape lived off the land's natural resources and also used these resources to develop and maintain trade with other tribes and the Europeans.
How did the Lenape get along with early Europeans?
The Lenape living in Manahatta, present day Manhattan, first encountered explorers as early as 1594. By 1664, Dutch settlers established settlements in Lower Manhattan. The Lenape engaged in trade with the new settlers and even helped them survive the new climate. However, within a few years, conflicts between the Lenape, other Native American tribes, and the settlers developed. The Lenape warred with neighboring tribes to gain market share in the booming fur trade with the Europeans. The tribe also suffered from epidemics, and many died from diseases settlers brought to the New World. Finally, the Lenape lost their land to the Dutch due to a "transaction" between the tribe and the Dutchman Peter Minuit. Minuit gave the Lenape goods in exchange for the land. As a result, the Dutch believed they owned the land, while the Lenape believed they would be sharing it with them. The Dutch took advantage of the Lenape by using unclear terms for the deal. When it came to their fate and their land, tribes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware faced a similar fate as their counterparts in New York.
What happened to the Lenape?
Problems for the Lenape continued to mount as more Europeans settled in America. By 1700s the Europeans began to force the Lenape from their homeland. The Lenape moved west into parts of Western Pennsylvania and Ohio. But their stay in these places did not last long as settlers soon followed and forced the Lenape, as well as other tribes, even farther west. In addition, the fur trade declined due to the beaver's near extinction, endangering a steady trade economy that helped them subsist.
Later, when the United States Passed
What does the word matrilineal mean as used in the text? Explain and support with textual evidence.
The word "matrilineal" as used in the text refers to a social system or kinship system in which descent and inheritance are traced through the female line, such as from mother to daughter.
The text states, "Different languages and matrilineal clans also distinguished the three groups from one another." This suggests that the Lenape tribes had kinship systems in which lineage, inheritance, and social organization were based on the female line. The clans or groups within the Lenape tribe were likely organized around matrilineal descent, meaning that membership and lineage were traced through the mother's line.
This is further supported by the reference to "matrilineal clans." Clans are typically organized around kinship ties, and the fact that the Lenape tribes were described as having matrilineal clans indicates that the social structure and organization of the tribes were based on maternal lines of descent.
Overall, the usage of the term "matrilineal" suggests that the Lenape tribes had a social system where the roles, inheritance, and lineage were centered around the female line.