Native Lands Of Pennsylvania
A Land Acknowledgment
Native Lands of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania is the ancestral homeland for several different indigenous peoples including the: Erie, Ho-de-no-sau-nee-ga (Haudenosaunee), Lənape Haki-nk (Lenni-Lenape), Massawomeck, Munsee Lenape, Onöndowa’ga:’ (Seneca), 𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷 𐒼𐓂𐓊𐒻 𐓆𐒻𐒿𐒷 𐓀𐒰^𐓓𐒰^ (Osage), Shawandasse Tula (Shawanwaki/Shawnee), and Susquehannock. These people lived on and took care of this land for thousands of years. The purpose of this page is to recognize, acknowledge, and honor those who once inhabited this land on which we live, work, and learn.
Central Pennsylvania and the Susquehanna Valley were primarily inhabited by the Susquehannocks at the time of European contact. However, HACC’s 11-county service area also includes the territories of neighboring tribes, the Lənape Haki-nk in the east and Massawomeck in the southwest. Learn more about these three indigenous groups below.
Native Lands of Pennsylvania
Susquehannock
The Lenni-Lenape called them the Minqua. The Huron called them the Andaste. Algonquian-speaking tribes called them the Susquehannock. Since we do not know what name they used to refer to themselves, we call them by their Algonquian name, Susquehannock (Kent, 2001).
Timeline
The Susquehannock people were closely related, both culturally and linguistically, to the Five Nations of the Iroquois who also lived in the region of what is now known as New York. Archaeological evidence suggests a possible common ancestry as well as a continued diffusion of culture between the two groups (Kent, 2001). While the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca were united under the Great League of Peace (Haudenosaunee Confederacy, 2019), the Susquehannock remained an independent nation (Snow, 1994).
1450 - 1524
By 1450, archaeological evidence points to the development of a distinct Susquehannock culture in the area of what is now Bradford County in Northeastern Pennsylvania (Kent, 2009).
1525 - 1600
The Susquehanna began to move south along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. By 1575, they had migrated into the Lower Susquehanna Valley and lived in larger settlements such as those found at the Washington Boro Archaeological Sites in Lancaster County. In fact, this is most likely occupied by the Susquehannock when John Smith first met them in 1608 (Kent, 2201).
1600 - 1675
The Susquehannock continued to be the prominent inhabitants in the Lower Susquehanna Vally and continued to build settlements in the area with an estimated population of 6,000. However, from 1661 to 1663, their numbers declined due to a smallpox epidemic (Soderlund, 2016).
By 1675, increased warfare with the Iroquois, caused the Susquehannock to abandon their settlements. As a result, the Susquehannock scattered throughout the region including south into Maryland and Virginia before returning Pennsylvania and the Lower Susquehanna Valley.
1676 - 1690
Lack of archaeological evidence from this time suggests a time of social disruption for the Susquehannock. Although there is evidence of some warriors and their families living in New York with the Iroquois, most took refuge with the Lenni-Lenape of eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Kent, 2001; Soderlund, 2016). In 1677, the Lenni-Lenape, Susquehannock, and Iroquois met to discuss where the Susquehannock would live (Soderlund, 2016). Since both the Lenape and the Iroquois were experiencing a decline in population, both wanted to bolster their communities (Soderlund, 2016). In the end, some of the Susquehannock chose to live with the Lenape, and others decided to live with the Iroquois.
1690 - 1763
While many of the Susquehannock chose to take refuge with the Iroquois and Lenni-Lenapi, a population returned to Lancaster County and occupied a former settlement in Conestoga, which is the name by which they would become known. The Seneca (one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois) had claimed the territory and also lived at the settlement (Kent, 2001). However, by 1763, their population had declined until there were only 20 men, women, and children.
The Conestoga
By 1763, the Conestoga settlement was occupied by a total of 20 people: 7 men, 5 women, and 8 children (A Narrative of the Late Massacres, [30 January? 1764]). Practicing subsistence farming, they lived in peace with the Europeans around them and earned a living by making brooms, baskets, and wooden bowls to sell at the markets.
The Paxton Boys
In December of 1763, the inhabitants of the last known settlement of the Conestoga in Pennsylvania were murdered by the Paxton Boys. A narrative of what occurred can be found in Volume 11 of the Franklin Papers in the document titled, Narrative of the Late Massacres, [30 January, 1764]
Haudenosaunee Confederacy
As mentioned earlier, other than the small population that remained in Conestoga, the Susquehannock had taken refuge with either the Iroquois or Lenni-Lenape.
Originally, the Five Nations of the Iroquois included the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca Nations. In 1722, the Tuscarora joined the confederacy making it the League of the Iroquois. Today, these six nations continue their relationship that "has been in place since time immemorial" (Haudenosaunee Confederacy, 2019).
The Six Nations Websites
Lenni-Lenape Websites
Lənape Haki-nk
The Lənape Haki-nk or Lenni-Lenape, also known as Delaware, are one of the many branches of the Algonkian Nations of North America. They inhabited the region both east and west of the Delaware River extending as far as Lancaster County to the territory of the Susquehannock. They were divided into three linguistic groups, the Munsee in the northern New York region, the Unami in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania, and the Unechtgo in the Delmarva peninsula region (Norwood, 2007; Soderlund, 2016).
Like the Susquehannock, the Lenape experienced a decrease in their population as a result of warfare with the Iroquois and disease brought to the region by European immigrants such as the smallpox epidemic in the 1660s (Soderlund, 2016).
In 1758, there was an attempt by the government to establish a reservation. However, many Lenape moved west to the Ohio Valley and joined the communities of Lenape who had migrated there earlier (Soderlund, 2016). By 1800, only a small remnant of Lenape remained in Pennsylvania and New Jersey (Wallace, 1991).
Migration
Today, the Lenni-Lenape can be found across the United States and Canada, but the largest population resides in Oklahoma.
Delaware Nation
After the Revolutionary War, some of the Lenape broke away from the main tribe after the new young United States failed to create a "14th state" for Native Americans (Delaware Nation, 2019). In 1782, the Absentee Delaware as they were then called, moved to land west of the Mississippi River, which was under Spanish territory at the time (Delaware Nation, 2019).
The Delaware spent years moving around and being relocated settling in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Ultimately, they ended up on lands allotted to them near Anadarko, Oklahoma. They were known as the Absentee Delaware until the late 20th century. They are now the federally recognized Delaware Nation (Delaware Nation, 2019).
Delaware Nation Websites
Documentary
Lenape in Their Homeland
While there are no federally recognized tribes in either New Jersey and Pennsylvania, there is still a population of Lenapi people that remain on their traditional homelands.
The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, Powhatan Renape Nation, and the Ramapough Lenape Nation have all received recognition from the state of New Jersey.
Currently, there are no state-recognized tribal nations in Pennsylvania. However, there is a native presence in the commonwealth. The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, a non-profit organization for descendants of the Lenape, is currently seeking state-level recognition.
Pennsylvania and New Jersey Lenape Websites
Free Downloadable Book
Land Acknowledgement
Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation
“The land upon which we gather is part of the traditional territory of the Lenni-Lenape, called “Lenapehoking.” The Lenape People lived in harmony with one another upon this territory for thousands of years. During the colonial era and early federal period, many were removed west and north, but some also remain among the continuing historical tribal communities of the region: The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation; the Ramapough Lenape Nation; and the Powhatan Renape Nation, The Nanticoke of Millsboro Delaware, and the Lenape of Cheswold Delaware. We acknowledge the Lenni-Lenape as the original people of this land and their continuing relationship with their territory. In our acknowledgment of the continued presence of Lenape people in their homeland, we affirm the aspiration of the great Lenape Chief Tamanend, that there be harmony between the indigenous people of this land and the descendants of the immigrants to this land, “as long as the rivers and creeks flow, and the sun, moon, and stars shine”.
Massawomeck
References to the Massawomeck in early historical accounts are few and primarily from the time period between 1607 and 1634 (Pendergrast, 1991). In 1612, John Smith refers to them as "a great nation and very populous...the Sasquesahonocks, Tockwoghes are continually tormented by them" (Pendergrast, 1991, p. 11). Who they were and where they lived has been the topic of research since it has been difficult to nail down based on the written accounts of the early Europeans who interacted with them.
Who Were the Massawomeck?
There is much speculation about the identity of the Massawomeck. Some historians associate them with the Iroquois, others with the Erie (Abagond, 2015; Pendegrast, 1991). Linguistically, it has been determined that they most likely are not an Algonquian tribe since John Smith was unable to comprehend them. It has also been suggested that Massawomeck was another name for Pocoughtronack, Autohhonoron, and the later named Monongahela culture.
Where Did They Live?
According to historical documents, we do know the Massawomack were heavily involved in the fur trade with the Europeans in the Chesapeake Bay area (Pendergrast, 1991). Early accounts place Massawomeck on the land between the Potomac and Susquehanna Rivers. John Smith and other early Europeans talked about Massawomeck settlements along the rivers and lakes near Canada (Pendergrast, 1991). Also, a map by General John S. Clark in 1579 included the notation "Massawomecks Near Lake Erie" (Pendergrast, 1991).
From these early accounts, it has been determined that the Massawomeck occupied the lands west of the Susquehannock territory, north to Lake Erie, and south to the Chesapeake Bay area. Eventually, the Seneca forced them out of the northern part of their territory, and by the early 1660s, the Massawomeck primarily resided in what is now Southern Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Where Are They Now?
Like the Susquehannock, the Lennie-Lenape, and other tribes in the region, the Massawomeck eventually were pushed out of their land and joined neighboring tribes as their numbers declined. Today, there is a population of Massawomeck represented in the membership of the Meherrin tribe of North Carolina and the Seneca-Cayuga Nation of Oklahoma.
Websites
