Delaware is the English name for a Native American people who lived in the Delaware River Valley. The name eventually came to include Native Americans of the lower Hudson River Valley. The Delaware called themselves Lenape, meaning original people. The Delaware hunted, fished, and farmed. By the late 1700’s, the Delaware were divided into three major groups—the Munsee, the Unalachtigo, and the Unami. Each division reflected a different language or dialect of the Algonquian language family.
In 1682, the Delaware held land negotiations, signing a treaty with the English colonial leader William Penn. Despite Penn’s promises of friendship, relations grew worse as the growing population of European settlers pushed the Delaware westward toward the Ohio Valley.
In the 1760’s, a religious leader called the Delaware Prophet preached that Native Americans should abandon the use of firearms, steel, and other European products. He urged them to expel the Europeans from their lands and return to traditional ways. The Delaware Prophet influenced an Ottawa leader named Pontiac. Pontiac tried to unite the Delaware and other tribes to drive out the intruders. War broke out in 1763, but the British eventually defeated Pontiac.
In 1818, the Delaware signed a treaty that surrendered their land to the government. Delawares living in Indiana moved to Missouri and later to Kansas. In the 1860’s, many moved to Oklahoma. Today, Delawares live throughout the eastern United States, in Oklahoma and Kansas, and in Ontario, Canada.
