Examining and understanding the cosmology of the Lenape tribe particularly lends itself to their great bond with and emphasis on the natural world. The belief that the origins and governing laws of the universe are firmly vested in the physical land shows how much reverence they had for nature, and this is particularly evident in the Lenape creation myth.

As the story goes, Tantaque, a tribe elder, first told the story by picking up a piece of coal from a fire and began to sketch on the ground: “He first drew a circle, a little oval, to which he made four paws or feet, a head and a tail.” This was representative of a tortoise, particularly resonant considering that the salt marsh is the natural habitat of the terrapin. The back of the tortoise was to be considered the earth and the circle around it the water. Two trees grew out of the middle of the earth, creating the first man and woman. Again, the idea of a land mass surrounded by water is indicative of the Lenapes’ environment; they were indigenous to Manhattan Island.

To extend on that idea, there is another Lenape legend of a time when the game animals disappeared from their land. This was of course concerning to the tribe and thus led to a form of diplomacy between Chief Elk and the War Chief; Chief Elk told him, “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.” And thus, the first conservation efforts were born.

This reverence for nature allowed to the Lenapes to adopt and maintain a hunter-gatherer lifestyle for much longer than neighboring tribes. They migrated according to season, following the food, so to speak, and lived very egalitarian lives. The few crops they did have were very small-scale and consisted of native plants. In the so-called “Contact-era,” however, the Lenapes shifted into an agricultural system, albeit, still small-scaled. They began to grow the “three sister” crops of maize, beans, and squash. Despite becoming “managers of the land,” they still integrated elements of nature-oriented cosmology. For instance, there was a corn spirit, known as Kahesana Xaskwim, or Mother Corn, that was held in high esteem.

Despite the adoption of an agriculturalist system, the idea of elements of nature possessing a spirit is not a novel idea in Lenape cosmology. Disregarding the dichotomy of living and nonliving, they found a maneto, or indwelling spirit, in everything. In the most practical example of this, plants were seen to possess a spirit, leading to a healer’s function in society: through the use of healing botanicals, they could reestablish the natural balance. The manito’wak, amongst them Earth Mother, Corn Mother, and Keeper of the Game, were created by the Lenape Creator God in order to govern the universe, and thus create a harmonious balance. This was essentially the Lenape form of divine intervention: when offended a maneto could cause “mischief,” and this several rituals were performed to appease the spirits.