Lenapehoking is a term ascribed to the Lenape Native Americans as the name in the Algonquin language of the region they inhabited along the East Coast of the United States. Like much of Algonquian linguists, the term is controversial, however, and there is not universal agreement among scholars about its validity.

At the time of the arrival of the Europeans in the 16th and 17th century, the Lenape homeland generally encompassed the territory adjacent to the lower Delaware and Hudson river valleys, as well the territory between them. It stretched from modern-day Delaware to western Connecticut and Long Island and included parts of eastern Pennsylvania all of present day New Jersey, New York Bay, and the southern counties of New York State, including New York Harbor the five boroughs of New York City.

According to some scholars, such as Nora Dean Thompson , the Lenape called this territory "Lenapehoking", meaning "the place where the Lenape dwell." This assertion has gained widespread acceptance and is found widely in recent literature on the Lenape, including in the websites of the Lenape people. Ray Whritenour , a controversial linguist, asserts however that the term does not appear in any sources from the 18th century, however, but is a modern fabrication created by Thompson in the late 20th century.

Other Lenape place names

Lenape place names within the region included:

• Manhattan
  • Sapokanikan - habitation site and cultivated area on the Hudson River north of present day Greenwich Village
  • Nechtanc - habitation site along the East River near the present location of the Manhattan Bridge.

• Staten Island
  • Aquehonga - name for Staten Island
  • Manacknong - name for Staten Island
  • Shawkopoke - habitation site and cultivated area along Great Kills Harbor

• Brooklyn
  • Nayack or Wichquawanck - habitation in Bay Ridge near the present location of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge
  • Gowanus - habitation site along the south bank of Gowanus Creek
  • Sassian - habitation site in present Red Hook

See also

• History of New York City
• New Amsterdam

References