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Native American Tribes of New Jersey

Welcome to our New Jersey State Facts section, part of an educational project designed to provide information about indigenous people in different U.S. states. Follow the links to the right of our tribal map for more information about the language, culture and history of each New Jersey tribe, or scroll below the map for New Jersey Indian activities including a wordsearch, fact sheets, and words from the Native American languages of New Jersey. Feel free to print any of these materials out for classroom use!

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American Indians in New Jersey

The original inhabitants of the area that is now New Jersey were Lenni Lenape (Delaware) people.


About Our Maps
 The three main Delaware tribes in New Jersey were:

*The Unami (Lenape) tribe
*The Minisink (Munsee) tribe
*The Unalachtigo tribe



Other Indian tribes who migrated into New Jersey after Europeans arrived include:

 *The Taino tribe (an indigenous people of the Caribbean, many of whom immigrated from Puerto Rico as agricultural workers in the 1930's)

There are no federally recognized Indian tribes in New Jersey today.

Most Native Americans were forced to leave New Jersey during the 1700's, when eastern tribes were being displaced by colonial expansion. These tribes are not extinct, but except for the descendants of New Jersey Native American people who hid or assimilated into white society, they do not live in New Jersey anymore. Most tribes that once were native to New Jersey ended up on Indian reservations in Oklahoma. If you click on the link for each tribe above, you can find more information about them.

Non-recognized New Jersey Indian bands and communities include:

 *The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians of New Jersey:
18 East Commerce Street
Bridgeton, NJ 08302

*The Powhatan Renape Nation:
PO Box 225
Rancocas, NJ 08073

*The Ramapough Mountain Indians:
189 Stag Hill Rd
Mahwah, NJ 07430

*The Southern New Jersey Taino Tribe:
703 South Eighth Street
Vineland, NJ 08360

Teaching and learning activities about New Jersey Native Americans:

 Feel free to print these out to use at school!

*New Jersey Tribes Word Search: Printable puzzle hiding the names of New Jersey's Indian tribes.
*New Jersey Language Greetings: Learn to say "hello" in several Native New Jersey languages.
*New Jersey Native Animals: Learn the Native American names of New Jersey animals.
*New Jersey Indian Facts for Kids: Answers to frequently asked questions about the tribes of New Jersey.
    We currently have pages for the Lenape and Munsee tribes.

Recommended books about New Jersey Native Americans
(Our organization earns a commission from any book bought through these links)

*New Jersey Native Peoples: Introducing New Jersey's Native American history and culture to kids.
*New Jersey Indians: Another book on New Jersey tribes for kids.
*Dickon Among the Lenapes: Story of a New Jersey boy adopted into the Lenni Lenape tribe.
*Encyclopedia of New Jersey Indians: Thorough reference book about the Native American tribes of New Jersey.
*The Delaware Indians: A History: In-depth study of Lenape Indian history, culture, and traditions.
*Legends of the Delaware Indians: Collection of Lenape Indian folktales.
*Manhattan to Minisink The Native American etymology of various place names of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

Related links about American Indian history, culture and society in New Jersey state:

*Native People of New Jersey: History and pictures of the New Jersey Lenape Indians.

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