Contact with Early Colonists

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European fur traders encountered Native Americans in New Jersey around the year 1600. Archaeological evidence and written history show that the two groups of people exchanged goods. Native Americans traded pelts and other goods for European objects such as glass beads, metal tools, and alcohol.


Copper ornaments and a glass bead were found during archaeological excavations conducted by Hunter Research on the Trent House property. They suggest that Europeans and Lenape may have engaged in trade here. ​

Made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH), a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this video do not necessarily represent those of the NEH or NJCH.

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Later Europeans came with the goal of creating permanent settlements. The first colonists were the Dutch, followed by Swedes and Finns, then the Germans and English. Sometimes, the colonists purchased land from Native Americans, though they paid small amounts of European money or objects. These "purchases" disregarded the fact that the Lenape believed all land belonged to all people and living things. The Lenape believed these purchases were agreements to share the land with the Europeans.

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Researched and narrated by Brianna Dagastino, a member of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, Trent House's production of "Native American Government & Sovereignty" describes traditional Lenape governance, the influence of those practices on the basic principles of the Constitution, and the ongoing struggle for justice and recognition of the Lenape in New Jersey today.

​RESOURCE:

Separate Paths: Lenapes and Colonists in West New Jersey (2022) by Jean R. Soderlund