The Lenape people were the first inhabitants of the lands now known as Bucks County.  The Lenape, also called the Lenni Lenape, people's historical territory includes present-day northeastern Delaware, all of New Jersey, the eastern Pennsylvania regions of the Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania, and New York Bay, western Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley in New York state. The Lenape nation population was originally 8000 members strong. 

 

It is recorded that the initial relationship (1681-1735) between the Lenape and European settlers was peaceful. However, in the absence of Wm. Penn, in 1737, less honest and forthright settlers embarked upon 20 years of violence in efforts to steal land.  Today the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania does exist, but many Lenape members are based in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Ontario. 

 

 

To recognize the Indigenous peoples who were the original inhabitants of a land and the connection they have to it, many organizations and institutions, including the League of Women Voters, make a land acknowledgement statement before events and gatherings.  This statement recognizes the Indigenous communities whose ancestral lands are being occupied.  The land acknowledgement used by our Bucks County League is as below:

 

Local interest in Bucks County’s Lenape Heritage is ongoing and well documented.  Resources such as the Bucks County Historical Society, the Doylestown Historical Society, the Mercer Museum and others continue to highlight factual stories of the times.