My current work in progress, a historical romance set during the Revolutionary War, has a Lenni Lenape hero. That's pretty cool! Except I knew nothing - literally - about the Lenni Lenape people. So this past month I've been devouring everything I can find on this Native America tribe that had almost disappeared.
Better known today as the Delaware Indians, the Lenni Lenape is considered one of the oldest tribes on the east coast. Even other Algonquian tribes referred to them as the Grandfather Tribe, Grandmother Tribe, or the Ancient Ones.
The tribe was so large and so widespread before the arrival of the Europeans - its territory included parts of present-day New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware - that it spoke three major dialects.
They were the tribe who signed treaties with William Penn and the Quakers in Pennsylvania. They were the tribe who fought alongside the Patriots and helped defeat the British. They were also the tribe best known for capturing white children and taking them captive. Indeed, there is much to learn about this ancient tribe. I'll be writing a series of posts on them in the coming months.
Pegg Thomas writes "History with a Touch of Humor."
Thanks Pegg. For all I 'think' I know, I agree that I know very little about this tribe. I look forward to reading this one!
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed that it gets picked up by a big house. :)
DeleteMe too! (Looking forward to reading.) I'm in that stage, too, of investigating a tribe I know little of, even though I think my cousin's daughter is part of the people group I'm studying.
ReplyDeleteBut it's fun, right? I love the research part.
DeleteSounds very interesting - looking forward to learning more:)
ReplyDeleteThe longer I live and the more I read, I realize how little I know! That's why I enjoy historical fiction so much! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for following along. :)
DeleteThanks for following along. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing about the Lenni Lenape people. I enjoy reading new history posts and through books.
ReplyDelete