Lenape Country: Delaware Valley Society before William Penn by Jean R. Soderlund (review)

Jean R. Soderlund’s Lenape Country: Delaware Valley Society before William Penn is an outstanding account of the Lenape and their relationship with the Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, and English settlers in the seventeenth century. Challenging the traditional interpretations of European contact with the natives, Soderlund successfully proves that not only was native society significant prior to Penn’s acquisition of Pennsylvania, but also the Lenape learned from the experiences of other native groups (particularly those in New England and the Chesapeake) when interacting with Europeans who came to the Delaware Valley.

One of the main focuses of Lenape Country is the importance of the Lenapewihittuck (Delaware) River to Lenape society. The Lenape controlled land from central and southern New Jersey through eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware. They generally coexisted with the Dutch, Swedes, and Finns because these groups built trading posts and forts and kept ships in the river for trade. The one time the Dutch attempted to establish a plantation colony like those in New Netherland, the Siconeynicks assaulted Swanendael, wiping out the settlement. The incident led to the Dutch portraying the Lenape as militaristic, especially in their relations with the Susquehannocks (who also wanted to have access to European trade). Soderlund contends, however, that the Lenape and Susquehannocks shared similar interests, and the Susquehannocks had greater threats from the Iroquois than from the Lenape.

The Lenape, Swedes, and Finns created alliances based on intermarriage and cultural similarities. Over time, the relationship transitioned from trading partners to mutual defense as they dealt with Dutch and later English encroachment on Lenape territory. Unfortunately, a lack of reliable supply ships weakened New Sweden, and it fell to the Dutch (and later English) by the 1660s. While the Lenape still were able to bargain from a position of strength when they negotiated with William Penn, the arrival of 8,000 colonists spelled the end of Lenape power in the Delaware Valley. Their population quickly declined due to disease, and they relocated to New Jersey or north and west by the early 1700s. At the same time, their former European allies—the Swedes and Finns—allied with the Anglicans to try to combat Quaker control in the region. Fraudulent land purchases such as the Walking Purchase forced the Lenape in Pennsylvania west to the Susquehanna and Ohio valleys, in addition to leading to armed conflict in the 1750s. In New Jersey, New England missionaries established reservations on Delaware land, and the Lenape retained a few tracts but had to follow English common law.

Lenape Country provides an exceptional account of Delaware Valley society and politics prior to Penn’s arrival. The Lenape were not merely pawns in the contest for control by European powers, but they were equals and in some ways dominant in the region. The maps and illustrations enhance the well-written narrative that is extremely compelling and difficult to put down. This book is a significant contribution to understanding society in the Delaware Valley in the seventeenth century.