About Us

We are the descendants of the original people of Lenapehoking, the Lenape who never left the lands watered by the Lenapewihittuck (Delaware River) and its bays. Though centuries of removal, erasure, and forced blending sought to scatter us, we remain, rooted in Kent and Sussex Counties, still speaking our ancestors’ names for these places, still walking the same ground they walked.

Who We Are

We are families whose bloodlines trace directly to the Unami and Munsee Lenape who stayed or quietly returned after the great dislocations of the 1700s and 1800s. Recognized by the State of Delaware in 2016, we are a sovereign tribal nation determined to live as Lenape, for our children and for the generations yet to come.

Our Living Traditions

We keep the old ways alive in our hands and hearts:

•  Basket weaving – Black ash, pine needle and sweetgrass baskets shaped the way our grandmothers taught us, each one carrying prayer and memory.

•  Beading – Tiny glass beads become stories on regalia, moccasins, and bandolier bags, colors chosen with purpose and respect.

•  Native gatherings – Powwows, Big House ceremonies in their renewed form, seasonal thanksgivings, and family feasts where songs older than the state itself are still sung.

•  Herbal knowledge and storytelling – Medicines from cedar, sassafras, and sumac; stories that teach how to live with kindness and balance.

We dance the old dances. We feed the fire. We speak Lenape words to our children so the language does not sleep.

Our Purpose

We are here to keep the circle strong, to remind the world that the Lenape never vanished from Delaware. More than preservation, we are about continuance, passing the beauty of our ways forward while walking firmly in today’s world.

Above all, we carry our ancestors’ teaching: there is good in everyone. It is our work to call that goodness out, in ourselves and in every person we meet.

We are still here.

We are still Lenape.

And we always will be.

Wanishi for visiting us.

Come to our gatherings when the drums call.

There is always room in the circle.