The Delaware Indians: A History [Paperback]

C. A. Weslager (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1990

"One of the best tribal histories . . . the product of decades of study by a layman archeologist-historian. With a rich blend of archeology, anthropology, Indian oral traditions (he gives us one of the best accounts of the Walum Olum, the fascinating hieroglyphics depicting the tribal origins of the Delaware), and documentary research, Weslager writes for the general reader as well as the scholar."--American Historical Review In the seventeenth century white explorers and settlers encountered a tribe of Indians calling themselves Lenni Lenape along the Delaware River and its tributaries in New Jersey, Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, and southeastern New York. Today communities of their descendants, known as Delawares, are found in Oklahoma, Kansas, Wisconsin, and Ontario, and individuals of Delaware ancestry are mingled with the white populations in many other states. The Delaware Indians is the first comprehensive account of what happened to the main body of the Delaware Nation over the past three centuries. C. A. Weslager puts into perspective the important events in United States history in which the Delawares participated and he adds new information about the Delawares. He bridges the gap between history and ethnology by analyzing the reasons why the Delawares were repeatedly victimized by the white man.

Product Details

• Paperback: 564 pages
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press (January 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813514940
• ISBN-13: 978-0813514949
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #584,560 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, well-researched study of Delaware Indians, November 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Delaware Indians: A History (Paperback)

Weslager combines a flair for description with a scholarly tone to produce what is to date the most fair, accurate study of the Delaware Indians, or Lenni Lenape. Using historical, archealogical, anthropological, and ethnohistorical evidence, Weslager provides an almost complete history of this often neglected Indian tribe. This work is a must read for anyone interested in the early history of the mid-Atlantic region.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The First Book was the Best, February 25, 2005

By 

Dana Garrett - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Delaware Indians: A History (Paperback)

The Delaware Indians was the first book I read on the Lenape. ("Delawares" was the name given by European colonists to the Lenape people.) After reading many other books on the Lenape, Weslager's work remains the best book on the subject I've read.

As striking as the exemplary research demonstrated in the book is its accessible style. Cleary Weslager took great pains to make the story of the relatively unknown Lenape people available to as wide an audience as possible. The book is a complete history of the Lenape, and its source material is oral traditions carried down by the Lenape, colonial records and writings, and 20th century records and personal narratives as well.

Weslager also describes Lenape customs, ceremonies and beliefs. His description of the Lenape Big House Ceremony is fascinating. Weslager's accounts of the successive betrayals, deceptions and crimes of the European colonists and their American descendants track the disastrous trail of the Lenape from their original homeland to present day Oklahoma. Readers can easily sense that Weslager's sympathies for the Lenape people border on advocacy. Unsurprisingly, Weslager ends the book by describing the Lenape's attempt to receive compensation owed to them by the USA government for over 100 years.

I highly recommend this book and others by Weslager as well.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars PERFECT, April 7, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Delaware Indians: A History (Paperback)

I thought this book was perfect! I had a HUGE paper to write on the Lenni-Lenape/Delaware tribe and I couldn't find much information on them. I found this book, I bought it, I read it, I loved it, I wrote my paper using some information from it, and I got an A+ on my paper. I learned so much from this beautifully written book!