“Honor and respect our lives, our beings, in life and death. Do what you have failed to do before. Stop doing what offends our Spirits.” The War Chief gave his promise, and the animals returned with the warriors to the Lenape homeland. That is why, as the storyteller concludes, “Ever since that time we Lenape have always offered tobacco and shown the utmost respect when hunting or upon killing an animal for food. We never took more than we needed, and we used as much of the animal’s remains as we could.”

The Lenapes’ relationship with the natural environment was greatly influenced by their practice of cosmology. They believed that all living and nonliving things had a spirit within them, called a maneto. The manito’wak could cause mischief in the Lenape society if they were displeased or offended by the people. To appeal to the manito’wak, the Lenapes performed seasonal rituals in the spirits’ honor. One of the rituals was in honor of the Keeper of the Game, in which the fat of the first buck killed was offered as a sacrifice. Other rituals included the sacrifice of the first fruits, offerings of  burnt corn to the deer and bear spirits, and offerings of fish shaped bread to the fish spirit. Tobacco also played an important role in these spiritual rituals. All of these ceremonies and sacrificial offerings were done to insure a bountiful outcome, whether of fruit, fish, or game, and to give thanks to the spirits for any previous bountiful outcomes. The Lenape believed that honoring the spirits with these rituals was necessary, and failure to carry out the rituals would result in terrible consequences. In order to have the food and resources that were essential to the survival of their people, the Lenape had to give thanks to the spirits that were believed to control such things. Otherwise, they would have unsuccessful hunting and gathering experiences and would struggle to survive.

The Lenape’s practice of spiritual rituals showed the highest respect for the natural environment. They only took what they needed from nature, and regularly thanked nature and the “spirits of nature” for allowing them to use its resources for survival. They recognized and respected the power of nature, from the natural resources they used for crafting to the animals they consumed: “To replace what you have taken by making a tobacco offering is a recognition or acknowledgement of the life you take, whether it is a tree cut down to make baskets or an animal killed for food”. Their belief that things both living and nonliving had indwelling spirits led to their reverence for everything in the natural environment.

Today, we might think of offering sacrifices to spirits as absurd. However, the Lenape’s belief in cosmology and spiritual rituals had the purpose of expressing gratitude towards nature, and this practice had a positive impact on the natural environment. Rather than abusing the land, the Lenape people took care of it and practiced a kind of give-and-take relationship with nature. This shows that the Lenape were thoughtful about their impact on nature, and took the utmost care in making sure that it was fully appreciated. The Lenape clearly had a positive, appreciative relationship with the natural environment.

While their ideas may differ greatly from our current “scientific” perspectives, the Lenapes held a deep and complex understanding of cosmology – their theories behind the natural order of the universe – and maintained an admirably intimate relationship with the natural world.

According to their creation myth, the Lenapes believed that in ancient times, no earth existed; there was only a vast realm of water below and a sky above, where the first humans lived. One day, the sky opened up, and through the hole fell a young woman and a tree. Aided by the “Great Turtle” and a council of creatures, the tree was planted to provide shelter for the woman and the earth emerged. There the tree grew, bending down one of its branches to root in the earth, and from this branch sprang forth the first man who together with the woman would bring forth the future generations of people on Turtle Island (Earth).

To govern the earth, the Lenapes believed their Creator god produced the manito’wak (lower spirits), which included the Earth Mother, Corn Mother, and the Keeper of the Game. Furthermore, the Lenapes believed all objects were imbued with a spirit – from rocks to clouds – and recognized no clear division between living and nonliving. Using the word maneto to label the indwelling spirit in everything, they referred back to this idea of a Creator and maneto to identify all that was strange or wondrous beyond comprehension. If the maneto – the imbued spirits – were offended, the Lenape believed the spirits would cause harm, and thus performed seasonal rituals to offer to the Keeper of the Game. For example, plants were viewed as part of the “sacred circle” of life, and often burnt offerings of corn were made to different spirits. In another example, tobacco would be offered to the forest before entering for hunting and gathering to ensure positive outcomes and offer thanks.

Although it may be difficult for us to understand or perceive the world through the eyes of the Lenape people, it proves worthwhile to recognize their consistent expression of gratitude for nature. As quoted in City at the Water’s Edge, through ceremony, ritual, and dreamwork – cultural manners we may find unusual – the Lenapes sought to convey respect for the healing power of nature: “To replace what you have taken by making a tobacco offering is a recognition or acknowledgement of the life you take, whether it is a tree cut down to make baskets or an animal killed for food.” Though such methods may have remained environmentally harmful, if nothing, the Lenapes at least took the time to consider their affect on nature, be thankful for what they had, and seek some way of giving back – an understanding we unfortunately lack greatly in our world today.

The Lenape treated everything honorably, and like they used all of the meat of animals in order to appease the spirits, they used all of the plants they dug. They had the utmost respect for every plant, tree, herb, leaf, and piece of bark because they thought that they had spirits. Every time the Lenape dug something out, they had a purpose for that natural resource. They performed rituals, offering tobacco and prayers before digging the plants out, showing that they had reverent attitude towards nature.

Although all the Lenape had the basic knowledge of the medicinal value of certain plants and herbs, only two kinds of medical practitioners specialized in treating serious physical problems.  Usually, only those who  received visions or dreams from the spirit world could become meteinuwak, or medicine people. The first type of medical practitioners were herbalists; by applying natural remedies, they cured diseases and healed wounds and infections. Besides knowing the qualities of herbs, plants, barks, and roots, the Themeteinu or medew asserted that they knew how to handle witchcraft and occult practices; they were believed to heal people that had supernatural illnesses  by chasing away evil spirits. 

The Lenape medical practitioners were meticulous in gathering each plant while considering the needs of the patient’s body. They properly diagnosed the diseases, and carefully examined each plant. The Lenape medicine practitioners had specific prayers and preparations for each plant because they thought the plants’ uses would be rendered useless if they had no respect for them. Because they had an extensive knowledge of the uses of many flora species, they didn’t recklessly waste anything. For example, they had multiple uses for the common cattail; they externally applied the roots to treat burns, and cattail pollen was used for medicine and food. Additionally, in the winter, the roots were used for food and treatment of diarrhea, gonorrhea, and worms. . Plant species were never endangered as a result of the Lenape’s exploitation of nature; however, many plant species are endangered from the 21st century world’s wasteful and inconsiderate practices. Therefore, even though they took advantage of nature’s benefits, they never wasted anything in the environment, thereby making a minimal impact on nature’s resourcefulness

“What do you do?” This is one of the first questions asked when two people are becoming acquainted. Common responses might include doctor, teacher, lawyer, or accountant. Rarely does a person respond with the phrase “I am a farmer”. In our modern, industrialized society, fewer and fewer people are making their livings directly through agriculture. In the much earlier times of the Lenape Native Americans, agriculture was everything to these people because farming was a crucial way of surviving without modern technologies. The way in which the Lenapes utilized agriculture greatly impacted their relationship to and interaction with the natural environment.

For a long period of time, the Lenapes mostly relied on small-scale cultivation of their native plant species. About a thousand years ago, some Lenapes made the switch to the cultivation of maize. Eventually, the entire Lenape society shifted to maize-centered agriculture but the decision to do so, McCully writes, was entirely dependent on the natural environment. The Lenapes had to determine whether or not their soil would be reliable enough to withstand such a drastic shift. Luckily, the natural environment of the New York City Lenape region had sandy soil that was ideal for growing crops. According to newhopepa.com, the Lenapes used primitive tools such as bone, wood, and shells to grow crops. Such tools came directly from the natural environment and therefore must have required the Lenapes to have a good sense of their natural surroundings in order to know where and when the tools were available.

The Lenapes’ shift to maize-centered agriculture drastically changed their relationship to the natural world. Rather than using their previous method of depending solely on available resources to survive, the Lenapes could now take control and become “managers” of their land. I interpreted this to mean that as opposed to passively accepting the available, the Lenapes could now choose what they wanted to be available and when. They could manipulate the natural environment to suit their needs, rather than merely taking what they were given. For example, the Lenapes had the agricultural tools and knowledge to regularly use fire to clear fields and keep down weeds in areas where they wanted to grow crops. This “controlled burning” not only improved the soil, but it more importantly created “edge” habitats between grasslands and forests that attracted hunting animals and facilitated the growth of edible berries.

The seasons also played a large role in the Lenape use of agriculture. Because each season offered something different in terms of agriculture, the Lenapes’ entire way of life was dependent on the natural rhythm of the seasons. For example, during the summer they stayed near the coast to more easily grow crops. The Lenape use of agriculture rendered them a mostly sedentary people who moved only according to the seasons. As a result, the Lenape culture respected the natural world by not staying in one place long enough to be damaging with their agricultural methods as well as frequently switching their agricultural methods to best make use of each aspect of the natural environment.

Before the world was filled with the modern cities that it is today, there was simply land covered with grass, forests, dirt, and rocks.  At that time, humans had not yet adapted the concept of agriculture, and survived in a semi-nomadic state.  Their culture, lifestyles and survival depended completely on what they could hunt and catch.  This nomadic existence and people’s ability to adapt to their environment enabled them to survive the harsh conditions of the ice age and, after, the dramatic warming of the climate.  The way of life of these nomadic people not only benefited them, but also was also relatively respectful of the environment.

The Lenape have a legend that has been passed down through generations.  In this legend, the Animal Spirits escaped to the Giants World and would not return until the people promised that they would start treating the Natural Spirits with respect.  It is because of this legend that these nomadic people never abused nature.  They took what they needed to survive and used everything to its fullest extent.  When they would kill a mammoth, they would not only eat the meat, but also use the bones for tools and save other parts for later use.  One mammoth could feed from 20-40 people, and sometimes there would still be carcass left over.

Not only did these people kill sparingly, but they also did not stay in the same place for too long.  They needed to go where the food was, and when the food has four legs; the food is not likely to stay in the same place for an extended period of time.  This constant moving was beneficial to the environment.  Although these people disturbed the ecosystem where they stayed, it was not devastating.  The Lenapes were only in one place for a relatively short period of time; and when they left, it was fairly simple for the ecosystem to repair itself.  Now, people have stayed in the same place for so long, some ecosystems have been permanently altered.

When the mammoths, mastodons and giant beavers no longer walked the earth, the Early Archaic people had to learn to adapt and find a new food source.  Indeed, as the culture was completely dependent on these animals, it was very probable that some died out, while others split in search of a new way of life.  Some were able to diversify their diet with elk, caribou, fish, rabbit and acorns.  To adapt, they discovered that boiling the acorns made them edible, without the bitter taste.  They kept moving, always settling for a time near water, and then moving to the next camping grounds.  It was not until the population grew to an extent that there was not enough hunting grounds did they have to turn to a bigger, more stable food source: agriculture.  But until then, these nomadic people did not kill in excess; they took what they needed and nothing more.  Then, the environment could sustain us as a visitor, but as a permanent houseguest today, we seem to be on a path headed for destruction.