Delaware Indians

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The Delaware Indians were the first known people to live on the land now known as New Jersey. They lived on this land starting at least ten thousand years ago. Anywhere from eight thousand to twenty thousand Indians lived in this area when the first Europeans arrived. The name Delaware Indians means “genuine people” or “original people”. Algonquian dialect was the language they spoke. They were considered one tribe, the Delaware Indians didn’t act as one unified group. There lived in small communities made up of mostly extended family members. Women would work in the gardens growing sweet potatoes, corn, squash and beans. The men would hunt or fish during the day. They would search for clams off the Jersey Shore depending on the season. The Delaware Indians lived in parts of Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey.

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