Lenni Lenape is said to mean “Original People” in Unami an Algonquian language.
The Lenape occupied land in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York City.
They fought in a lot of important wars and were largely involved in the American Revolution.
There is a ton of unspoken history concerning Shingas and the Lenape in general but what he is most remembered for…
Shingas (at a time when white settlers kept encroaching on Lenape land) decided that there could be no peaceful living with the settlers and that they had ulterior motives in the wars.
He is quoted as saying: “It is clear that you white people are the cause of this war; Why do not you and the French fight in the old country, and on the sea? Why do you come to fight in our land? That makes everybody believe you want to take the land from us by force and settle it.”
Shingas led Indian warriors (including some of other tribes) went on a series of raids, scalping and killing white settlers indiscriminately. Men, women and children and taking some as prisoners.
It has been documented that some of the Lenape warriors entered a house and stated:
“We are the Allegheny Indians, and your enemies …you must all die!” before shooting the father, tomahawking the son and taking the daughters as prisoners.
This particular event is known as the Penn’s Creek Massacre which occurred on October 16, 1755.
As Shingas continued, the white settlers became so terrified, they placed a bounty on his head.
He became known to them as Shingas the Terrible.
Illusttation: https://www.nps.gov/people/shingas.htm
Comments