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November 2, 2022

November is Native American Heritage Month and what better way to observe it than to recognize the Native American tribe which preceded our township.

The land which is currently known as Edison was originally inhabited by the Lenni-Lenape. Meaning “the original people,” the Lenni-Lenape lived on land that included most of central New Jersey, as well as Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New York. The majority of their villages were along the river valleys, like the Raritan and Delaware Rivers, which allowed them to easily tend crops like corn, beans, and squash. 

The women of the Lenape tribe were responsible for tending the crops while the men hunted and fished. One technique used by the Lenape for fishing was to add ground chestnuts to the water, which dazed the fish and made them easier to catch by hand. 

As far as hunting, the Lenape relied on deer as the staple of their meat, and just like most Native American tribes, they used all parts of the animal after the hunt. The Lenape also hunted turkey, which were plentiful in the area—and still can be seen in some areas around Edison—and used the birds’ feathers in their clothing and headdress. 

As with most native American tribes, the Lenape suffered greatly due to diseases brought over by the first settlers. Chicken pox, smallpox, and measles decimated the Lenape in New Jersey, and the surviving tribespeople were forced westward in the latter half of the 18th century as the Europeans continued to expand their territory. Currently, New Jersey only has three state-recognized tribes left in its borders, while a group of Lenni-Lenape in Oklahoma consider themselves direct descendants of the New Jersey Lenape.

The Lenape Center in New York works hard to preserve the history and heritage of the Lenape tribe. For more information, visit them at thelenapecenter.com.

The Indians Of New Jersey: Dickon Among The Lenapes
By Mark Raymond Harrington
BORROW
Rainbow Crow: A Lenape Tale
By Nancy Van Laan
BORROW
The Lenape: Archaeology, History, And Ethnography
By Herbert C. Kraft
BORROW
From Lenape Territory To Royal Province: New Jersey, 1600-1750
By New Jersey State Museum
BORROW
Native Peoples Of North America Episode 6: "Indian-European Encounters, 1700-1750"
Watch on Kanopy
WATCH
New Jersey Native Peoples
By Mark Stewart
BORROW
Standing In The Light: The Captive Diary Of Catharine Carey Logan, Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, 1763
By Mary Pope Osborne
BORROW
Where The Raritan Flows
By Earl Schenck Miers
BORROW

Edison Public Library Locations:

Main Library
340 Plainfield Avenue (at Division Street)
Edison, New Jersey 08817
(732) 287-2298

Clara Barton Branch
141 Hoover Avenue (at Pleasant Ave)
Edison, New Jersey 08837
(732) 548-3045

North Edison Branch (at Library Place)
777 Grove Avenue
Edison, New Jersey 08820
(732) 738-0096

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Locations
Main Library  | 340 Plainfield Ave, Edison, NJ 08817 -  (732) 287-2298
Clara Barton Branch | 141 Hoover Ave, Edison, NJ 08837 -  (732) 738-0096
 North Edison Branch | 777 Grove Ave, Edison, NJ 08820 - (732) 548-3045
Board President - Patricia Massey                                                  
Library Director - Allan M. Kleiman
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