Tribal Nations Today

Some Lenape people remain in their ancestral lands today. Those who left New Jersey had to move again as white settlers expanded westward. Regardless of where they originated or finally settled, Native Americans across the country continued to be oppressed by colonial and then federal expansion and only gained citizenship in 1924.

In 1982, the New Jersey government acknowledged the Powhatan Renape, Ramapough Lenape, and Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape tribes. Subsequently, state recognition was dropped during the Christie administration. In 2017, the Nanticoke sued the state to regain their recognition. In 2018 and 2019, the NJ state Attorney General officially recognized the existence of the Ramapough Lenape, Powhatan Renape, and Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape nations. This state recognition qualifies the tribes for all state benefits and rights.​

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This video, researched and narrated by Brianna Dagostino and produced by the Trent House Association, includes interviews with some of New Jersey's Lenape residents who fought for state recognition. ​

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.

RESOURCE:

An Indigenous People's History of the United States (2015) by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
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