No extended comparisons of the religion and ceremonies of the Lenape with those of other tribes will be attempted in this paper, these being reserved for a projected article to embody the results of a comparative study of Lenape culture. M. R. HARRINGTON RELIGION AND CEREMONIES OF THE LENAPE BY M. R. HARRINGTON CHAPTER I PANTHEON To the mind of the Lenape, all the phenomena of nature, all the affairs of mankind, in fact the entire world as we know it, is under the control of invisible beings. Some are great and powerful, others of somewhat lesser influence, and so on down to the humble spirits of plants and stones. In some, good seems to predominate, in others, evil; but most of the _manĭʹtowŭk_, or spirits, seem to be, like mortals, a mixture of desirable and undesirable qualities. SUPREME BEING All the Lenape so far questioned, whether followers of the native or of the Christian religion, unite in saying that their people have always believed in a chief _Manĭʹto_, a leader of all the gods, in short, in a Great Spirit or Supreme Being, the other _manĭʹtowŭk_ for the greater part being merely agents appointed by him. His name, according to present Unami usage, is _Gicelĕmû‛ʹkaong‛_, usually translated, “great spirit,” but meaning literally, “creator.” Directly, or through the _manĭʹtowŭk_ his agents, he created the earth and everything in it, and gave to the Lenape all they possessed, “the trees, the waters, the fire that springs from flint,—everything.” To him the people pray in their greatest ceremonies, and give thanks for the benefits he has given them. Most of their direct worship, however, is addressed to the _manĭʹtowŭk_ his agents, to whom he has given charge of the elements, and with whom the people feel they have a closer personal relation, as their actions are seen in every sunrise and thunderstorm, and felt in every wind that blows across woodland and prairie. Moreover, as the Creator lives in the twelfth or highest heaven above the earth, it takes twelve shouts or cries to reach his ear. An account of the worship of the Creator will be given later in connection with the description of the Annual Ceremony. The Minsi had similar beliefs, but the current name for the Great Spirit in that dialect today is _Pa‛ʹtŭmawas_, interpreted “He who is petitioned,” or _Kĕ‛ʹtanĭtoʹwĕt_, “Great Spirit.”