The History of Brooklyn Name: Mr. Sixta

Who were the first non-Europeans to live in Brooklyn?

Immediately prior to European settlement in Brooklyn, the area of Manhattan and Western Long Island was inhabited by American Indians who we today call the Lenape.

History of Brooklyn - Early and Colonial Years “originally inhabited by a group of American Indians who called themselves the Lenape, which means "the People." They included the Nayack and the Canarsee, who planted corn and tobacco and fished in the rivers.” History of Brooklyn - Early and Colonial Years

Like other American Indian tribes, the Lenape name means “the people” Multiple bands or tribes in the area

Ives Goddard- Senior Linguist Emeritus At the time Munsee-speakers were in New York, from before the arrival of Henry Hudson into the nineteenth century, they referred to themselves by their local band affiliations. There was no known socially inclusive or political cover term. The Munsee form of "Lenape," which is correctly "Lunáapeew," means "Indian" for modern speakers, and for some also "Delaware Indian," but was additionally used in the plural for "human beings, people" in the nineteenth century. Ives Goddard- Senior Linguist Emeritus

Lenape is a Munsee term for “Indian” The Dutch who arrived in the area were often confused by the different languages spoken in the area By the 1830s American Indians from the area who had been resettled in Oklahoma began using the term Lenape and it has stuck

Who were the first Europeans to encounter the Lenape?

In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazzano likely became the first European to encounter the Lenape Indians, however Henry Hudson’s interactions nearly 100 years later in 1609 were more significant.

The Ages of Exploration “In mid-April 1524, Verrazzano and his crew became the first known Europeans to sail into New York Bay. Once again they were greeted peacefully by the Native Americans and treated well. He continued sailing along Long Island Sound in New York, and then on to Block Island and Narragansett Bay in present day Rhode Island.” The Ages of Exploration

Giovanni da Verrazzano was the first to discover New York harbor in April 1524. He encountered the American Indians living here but had very limited contact with them.

The Ages of Exploration “...entered into a river in present day New York. Hudson was hopeful this was the passage he had been looking for. This is the same area Giovanni da Verrazzano had explored previously in 1524. Hudson traveled 150 miles up this river, but found it was not the passage as he had hoped.” The Ages of Exploration

In 1609 Henry Hudson sailed across the Atlantic Working for the Dutch he was trying to find the “Northwest Passage” Northwest Passage was a water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean Hudson was unsuccessful on his two voyages but maped the area

What evidence of Lenape settlements still exist in the area?

People in New York City currently use roads which were previously Lenape trails and have housing on the same sites as former Lenape villages.

“...what is now called Broadway began as a Native American trade route that extended from New York Harbor all the way to present-day Boston, and was used by a host of indigenous tribes including the Lenape and the Mohicans.” Lucie Levine

Roads, sites, and paths from the past continue to influence and shape the present Traditional paths used by the Lenape were also used by colonial settlers and over the years these routes have been modernized and updated Broadway is an example of one old route that continues to be used

C. W. Nenning and James A. Kelly

This map is particularly interesting because it shows the location of trails and villages throughout Brooklyn. Many of these places closely align with current settlement.

Works Cited “The Ages of Exploration.” Ages of Exploration, exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/giovanni-da-verrazzano/. “The Ages of Exploration.” Ages of Exploration, exploration.marinersmuseum.org/subject/henry-hudson/. History of Brooklyn - Early and Colonial Years, www.thirteen.org/brooklyn/history/history2.html Ives Goddard, Senior Linguist Emeritus, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution. Levine, Lucie. “Mapping Manahatta: 10 Lenape Sites in New York City.” 6sqft, 20 Nov. 2018, www.6sqft.com/mapping-manahatta-10-lenape-sites-in-new-york-city/. Miller, Peter, et al. “Before New York.” National Geographic, 12 Sept. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2009/09/manhattan/. C. W. Nenning and James A. Kelly. Indian villages, paths, ponds and places in Kings County. Brooklyn Historical Society. 1 map : color ; 58 x 43 cm. 1946