Tag: New Sweden

In addition to contempuous or, worse, absent coverage of the indigenous people of NJ, the narration of much colonial history for NJ starts with the British because they prevailed, at least temporarily. Settlement of West Jersey by British Quakers began in earnest in 1675 with the founding of Salem along the Delaware, and the British assumed control of New Netherland in 1664.

But before the British were the Dutch, Swedes, and Finns who had sought control, moving east of the Delaware as Quakers consolidated rule of Philadelphia and westward from New Amsterdam (New York City). During this period, from 1615 to 1681, “the Lenapes dominated trade and determined if, when, and where Europeans could travel and take up land, ” observes Soderlund, writing about West Jersey (2015, 103). In 1631, the Lenape massacred a Dutch settlement that had expanded into agriculture, rather than restricting itself to trade as agreed, an incident that reinforced Lenape control and bought hegemony until British takeover. Peter Minuit “arrived in spring 1638 to establish New Sweden” (Soderlund, 2015, 20), and the “old settlers” (Dutch, Swedes, and Finns) developed relations with the Lenape independent of increasing British authority. So the British were preceded by other Europeans who, along with the Lenape, formed a society in what is today called “Lenapehoking”–a modern word invented to indicate the area of indigenous control. Lenape leaders determined who could settle where until the late 17th century when British control was consolidated.

But the very first recorded encounter between Europeans and the Lenape living in what is now New Jersey actually occurred not in the early 17th century but in 1524. More on that in post after next.