Terms to Know 1
(+ Wild Card/Bonus)
(+ Wild Card/Bonus)
A Native American group who originally lived in the area that is now New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Lenape
What is the Lenape name for where you live today that means “island of many hills"?
Mannahatta
The homeland of the Lenape people, covering parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware.
Lenapehoking
Sachems
Significance: Sachems helped make decisions and lead their people, showing organized government systems existed before Europeans.
What is the significance of the Munsee?
What do the Munsee demonstrate as one of the three main divisions of the Lenape Native American people?
The Munsee were (are) a specific group or "sub-tribe" of the Lenape Native American people who lived in the northern part of Lenapehoking. The Munsee had their own unique language (dialect), symbols, and characteristics. This demonstrates Native American nations were complex societies made up of smaller groups with their own regions and dialects. (Long BEFORE colonization)
What is the Lenape name for the Hudson River?
Shatemuc
A group within the Lenape Nation who lived mainly in northern Lenapehoking, including parts of present-day New York.
Munsee
These were dome-shaped homes made from wooden frames covered with bark or mats, used by some Native American groups.
Wigwams
A matrilineal society
This shows that women had important roles and power in many Native American societies.
What is the significance of learning about the ancestral homeland of the Lenape people, Lenapehoking?
Learning about Lenapehoking helps us understand where the Lenape lived and how land was organized before European settlement.
Large wooden homes that housed multiple families and were used by some Native American groups, including the Iroquois.
Longhouses
What is the term for small beads made from shells that were used for storytelling, record keeping, important events, and agreements?
Wampum
What is a Matrilineal Society?
Matrilineal Society: A matrilineal society is one in which family lines and inheritance are traced through the mother.
Was was Wampum so significant to the Lenape?
Wampum was very significant to the Lenape. The designs and colors of wampum belts served as living records, with each bead, color, and pattern carrying a specific meaning.
Wampum played a central role in diplomacy, governance, and social structure. It was used to mark agreements, record treaties & laws, acknowledge important events and traditions.
Many Native nations throughout the Northeast used wampum, including the Lenape.
Why was the Shatemuc (Lenape name for the Hudson River) so important?
Significance: The river was an important transportation and trade route for Native Americans, helping connect different communities.
Geography WILD CARD: Name all of the RIVERS you need to identify on a map!
Hudson River, Mohawk River, Susquehanna River, Delaware River
Leaders or chiefs chosen to guide Native American communities.
Sachems
A spiritual force or power that the Lenape believed existed in nature and all living things.
Manitu (also spelled manetu or manitou depending on source)
What is the significance of longhouses? (What do they reveal and reflect?)
Longhouses reflect the importance of community and cooperation in Native American societies. They were more than just homes, functioning as important social and political centers for the community, with different parts for each family. They reveal traditions of communal living, cultural connection, and sustainable design.
What does the Lenape word "Mannahatta" prove?
Significance: This reveals how the Lenape understood and named the land long BEFORE it became New York City.
Geography WILD CARD: Name all of the LAKES you need to identify on a map!
Lake Champlain, Lake Ontario, Lake Erie, Lake George, Oneida Lake
What is the BEST thing about today?
Mollie Session!
What is the significance of Manitu? (or Manitou)
This belief shows how the Lenape understood the world and defines the Lenape's animistic worldview. Manitu reveals the Lenape's deep spiritual connection to nature and the environment, viewing it as sacred.
Wigwams
Significance: Wigwams show how Native Americans used natural resources to build shelter suited to their environment.
Why are the Lenape significant? What did the Lenape Unit teach you and why is it important?
The Lenape were the first people to live in this region, shaping its culture, geography, and history long before Europeans arrived.