The Lenape Indians
used to take from nature only things that will suffice their basic
needs. Need for food, clothing and shelter. When the Europeans arrived,
the Lenape Indians learned to hunt and trap animals for their fur and
trade the furs to the Europeans.
The Lenape Indians used to live
in the Northeeastern Woodlands along the Hudson River valley. The Lenape
Indians were christened by the Europeans as Delaware Indians because
their settlements were near the Delaware River. When the Europeans
arrived, they brought diseases such as smallpox, measles, and common
colds that infected the Lenape Indians and lead to numerous deaths. The
diminishing number of the Lenape Indians in the Delaware River made it
easier for the Europeans to claim ownership on the land and drive the
Indians away.
The Lenape Indians settled along the Susquehanna
River and when settlers arrives and war broke out, majority of them
relocated to Ohio River Valley. They were finally driven to settle along
the White River in present-day Indiana.
