The Delaware Indians: A History

567 Pages·1971·18.002 MB·English

by  C.A. Weslager

THE DELAWARE INDIANS
Other Books by C. A. Weslager
Delaware’s Forgotten Folk
Delaware’s Buried Past
Delaware’s Forgotten River
The Nanticoke Indians
Brandywine Springs
Indian Place-Names in Delaware (with A. R. Dunlap)
Red Men on the Brandywine
The Richardsons of Delaware
Dutch Explorers, Traders and Settlers in the Delaware Valley (with
A. R. Dunlap)
The Garrett Snuff Fortune
The English on the Delaware
The Log Cabin in America
Note on Endpaper Map
The map on the endpapers shows the migration route of the main body
of the Delaware Indians from the time they left the Delaware River and
its tributaries until they settled in Indian Territory (Oklahoma) three
centuries later. Teepees show locations of major settlements enroute.
Locations of surviving groups of Delawares today are indicated by num­
bers: (i) The main body in northeastern Oklahoma; splinter groups at
(2) Anadarko, Oklahoma (3) Shawano County, Wisconsin (4) Moravian-
town, Ontario (5) Muncy Town, Ontario (6) Six Nations Reserve, Ontario.
(Map by Charlotte Carlson)
rhe
Delaware Indians
J-Jistory
C. A. Weslager
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY PRESS
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Weslager, Clinton Alfred, 1909-
The Delaware Indians.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Delaware Indians—History. I. Title.
E99.D2W39 970.3 78-185397
ISBN 0-8135-0702-2
Copyright © 1972 by Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey
Manufactured in the United States of America
To Clint and Elizabeth

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Preface xi
Acknowledgments xvii
i The Delawares Today 3
$ The Homeland of the Delawares 31
3 How the Delawares Lived 50
4 The Walam Olum 77
5 Early Relations with the Dutch 98
Q Rivalry for the Land 113
7 The Duke of York Takes Over 137
8 The Delawares and William Penn 155
9 Pennsylvania’s New Indian Policy >73
io Trouble on the Susquehanna 196
11 The Warriors Shed Their Petticoats 221
12 Keeping Peace in New Jersey 261
13 Turmoil in Ohio 282
14 Haven in Indiana Territory 329
15 From Missouri to Kansas 359
16 On to Oklahoma—The End of the Road 399
17 Delawares vs. the Cherokee 440
18 Conclusion 457
viü CONTENTS
Appendixes 465
1 Maps and Drawings Relating to Delaware Indian Villages
and Reservations 467
2 Henry R. Schoolcraft's Letter to E. G. Squier 470
3 Account of some of the Traditions, Manners, and Customs
of the Lenêë Lenäüpaa or Delaware Indians 473
4 Voucher for Annuities Paid the Delawares in Missouri
Territory on June 10, 1826 501
5 Letter from Caleb B. Smith, Secretary of the Interior, to
President Abraham Lincoln Relative to Delaware Lands 503
6 Letter from Attorneys for Delaware Indians to President
Abraham Lincoln, et al., Relative to Railroads 507
7 List of Delaware Indian Pupils in Attendance at Baptist
Mission School (Kansas Territory) for the Quarter Ending
September 30, 1858 509
8 List of Delaware Indian Pupils in Attendance at Baptist
Mission School (Kansas Territory) for the Six Months
Ending December 31, 1867 511
9 Delaware Indian Members, M Company, 6th Kansas Vol­
unteer Cavalry 514
10 List of Delawares on Reservation in Kansas Who Decided
to Become American Citizens 516
11 List of Delaware Indians Living on Anadarko Reservation,
1876 518
Index 521
Illustrations
Map, Migration Route of the Main Body of the
Delawares Endpapers
1 Delaware Tribal Business Committee 10
2 Delaware Big House, Copan, Oklahoma 12
3 Carved Faces on Centerpost 13
4 Big House, Hagersville, Ontario 18
5 Nathan Montour 19
6 Remains of Big House, Muncy Town, Ontario 23
7 Jasper Hill (Wapi-Gok-Hos, Big White Owl) 26
8 Map, Native Delaware Indian Communities 38
9 Map, Geographical Territories 46
io John, George, Sam, and Andrew Anderson 53
il Diagram of Big House 70
12 Glyphs 1-3 from Walam Olum 78
13 Glyphs 15-17 from Walam Olum 79
14 Braddock’s Old Road, near Farmington, Pennsylvania 222
15 Surveyor’s Drawing, Brotherton Reservation, Burlington
County, New Jersey 268
16 View Along the Tuscarawas River, Ohio 287
17 Schönbrunn Mission, Ohio 290
18 Group of Delawares, 1867-68 409
X ILLUSTRATIONS
19 Black Beaver (Suck-tum-mah-kway) 417
20 John Falleaf and Five Daughters 418
21 Model of Big House 419
22 Delaware Indian Leaders, 1867 425
23 Old Oklahoma Log Cabin 429
24 Mrs. Nora Thompson Dean (Touching Leaves) 431
25 Jack Harry (Wy-a-wa-qua-cum-an) 433
2Ô Chief Jim Bob 434
27 Grave Markers (kee-keen-he-kun) 442
28 John Brown (Weh-wul-i-nund) 443
29 Chief Charles Elkhair (Kaw-kul-lup-poox-way) and Grand­
son Richard Franklin Falleaf 449