The Lenâpé and Their Legends: With the complete text and symbols of the Walam olum, a new translation, and an inquiry into its authenticityBrinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
History
The Lenâpé and Their Legends: With the complete text and symbols of the Walam olum, a new translation, and an inquiry into its authenticity
Brinton, Daniel G. (Daniel Garrison)
Delaware Indians; Delaware language -- Texts; Picture-writing, Indian
The native name of New Jersey is given as Shã'akbee (English
orthography: ã as in fate); or as the German missionaries wrote it,
_Sche'jachbi_. It is a compound of _bi_, water, _aki_, land, and
the adjective prefix _schey_, which means something long and narrow
(_scheyek_, a string of wampum; _schajelinquall_, the edge of the eyes,
the eyelids, etc.) This would be equivalent to "long-land water," and,
according to the rules of Delaware grammar, which place the noun used
in the genitive sense before the noun which governs it, the term would
be more suitable to some body of water, Delaware bay or the ocean, than
to the main land.
The Lenape distinctly claimed the whole of the present area of New
Jersey. Their great chief, Tedyuscung, stated at the Conference at
Easton (1757), that their lands reached eastward to the shore of the
sea. The New Jersey tribes fully recognized their unity. As early as
1694, at an interview with Governor Markham at Philadelphia, when the
famous Tamany and other Lenape chieftains were present, Mohocksey, a
chief of the Jersey Indians, said: "Though we live on the other side
of the water (_i.e._, the Delaware river), yet we reckon ourselves all
one, because," he added, giving a characteristically native reason,
"because we drink one water."[63]
The names, number and position of the Jersey tribes have not been very
clearly made out. A pamphlet published in London, in 1648, states
that there were twenty-three Indian kinglets in its area, with about
2000 warriors in all. Of these, Master Robert Evelin, a surveyor, who
spent several years in the Province about 1635, names nine on the left
bank of the Delaware, between Cape May and the Falls. The names are
extremely corrupt, but it may be worth while giving them.[64]
1. Kechemeches, 500 men, five miles above Cape May.
2. Manteses, 100 bowmen, twelve leagues above the former.
3. Sikonesses.
4. Asomoches, 100 men.
5. Eriwoneck, 40 men.
6. Ramcock, 100 men.
7. Axion, 200 men.
8. Calcefar, 150 men.
9. Mosilian, 200 men, at the Falls.
Of these, the Mantes lived on Salem creek; _Ramcock_ is Rancocas creek;
the _Eriwoneck_ are evidently the _Ermomex_ of Van der Donck's map of
1656; _Axion_ may be for Assiscunk creek, above Burlington, from Del.
_assiscu_, mud; _assiscunk_, a muddy place. Lindstrom and Van der Donck
name the most Southern tribe in New Jersey _Naraticons_. They were on
and near Raccoon creek, which on Lindstrom's map is _Narraticon Sipu_,
the Naraticon river. Probably the English name is simply a translation
of the Del. _nachenum_, raccoon.
In 1675 the number of sachems in Jersey of sufficient importance for
the then Governor Andros to treat with were four. It is noted that when
he had made them the presents customary on such occasions, "They return
thanks and fall a kintacoying, singing _kenon, kenon_."[65] This was
the Delaware _genan_ (_genama_, thank ye him. Zeis).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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