The Indians of New Jersey: Dickon Among the Lenapes

by Mark Raymond Harrington

Here is a story of the Lenape Indians who lived in what is now New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania. It describes their culture, crafts, and language as no other book has done. Hunters, fishers, artisans of flint and skins and basketry, tellers of traditional tales, dwellers in a region of hills and barrens, of rivers and forests, they had developed a way of life adjusted to the world around them.

In presenting the lore and heritage of the Lenapes, Dr. M.R. Harrington does so through the eyes of a shipwrecked English boy who became a captive of the Indians, and was eventually adopted into the tribe. The narrative is lively reading, and the facts on which it is based are accurate. With the accompanying Clarence Ellsworth line drawings, the reader can understand and even reproduce many of the objects the author the Lenape bows and arrows, muccasins and mats, baskets and bowls.

This new edition is a reissue of an often asked for an unavailable New Jersey classic, first published in 1938.

Genres: History, Native Americans, Nonfiction, Native American

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1963

Reviews

[Kem White · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book 20 years ago as a resource for a child's school project. The exquisite illustrations and in-depth textual descriptions give you a good understanding of the culture and craft skills of the Lenape and other eastern woodlands Indians. The book also contains an superb glossary of the Lenape language. These two reasons alone are why the book deserves 5-stars. This book is an excellent resource for understanding long-gone Native American crafts and culture.

But the story itself is worth reading. An English teen serves as our guide as he learns about the Lenape people, culture, language, traditions, beliefs, lore, and rituals. The author was an ethnologist whose career was spent studying Native American cultures. Considerable research - including interviews with several then living Lenapes - informs the story. Nowadays we would debate "appropriation" issues with a book like this. I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment one way or the other about appropriation. But at the time of this book's original publication (1937), it must have been as accurate and sympathetic an account of Native Americans as possible. Recommended.

[Valerie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrington interviewed people of the Lenape tribe in the 1920s. Primary source interviews cannot be undervalued in research. That being said, interview techniques and how we interpret information changes over many decades, changes how we look at facts and social context; we must be wary of misinformation in older books. I'm saying this because I don't know just how to rank this book. While it is presented as fiction, this could be considered a research tool. Dickon, our main character, was a 17th century boy who was swept overboard as his ship, which had embarked in England, approached Virginia, he was rescued and adopted by a Lenape tribe. He describes every day life among his new community (from Harrington's interviews) including their language, crafts, and celebrations. I do recommend "Dickon Among the Lenapes" and proudly have it in the New Jersey section of my personal library, I just want readers to understand that its age and how we look at indigenous peoples isn't the same as it was in this nearly century old book.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I acquired this YA book as a young adult myself, probably from a "bookstore" (Google it!) In addition to the many hours spent at my town library (founded by my grandmother), as a young reader I spent countless hours browsing bookstores, salivating over all the possible items and longing to own them. In fact, my family were not big readers and mine was the only bookshelf at home. I don't specifically remember buying this book for myself, but I'm sure I did, as it's not at all the sort of thing I would be given as a gift. I was the kind of child reader who hid books inside my assigned textbooks at school, who never left the house without a book tucked in pocket or purse, and who even occasionally stole a cherished book from the library when I could not BEAR to return it.

I've read this classic at least a dozen times and it never gets old. I'm sure this is the book that prompted me to get my anthropology degree from the University of Michigan in modern native culture. I remember vividly when my brother-in-law, a farmer, plowed up an oXkhwewi temahikan, a woman's ax, and later it came into my possession. As a young work-study student, I foolishly donated that ax to the natural history museum where I worked, not understanding that it would probably mean much less to them (without provenance) than it did to me.

From Harrington's book, I learned that there were cultures who lived sustainably in balance with the earth. I was deeply inspired.

What I loved then about this book was the many many excellent drawings that showed how to create one's own clothing, clay pots, mortar, house, reed mats, flute, shoes and more, just from the free and abundant materials available all around us in Nature. From this book, I was led to seek natural clay on the banks of a tidal creek near my home, to dig it up, and to make my own pottery. I still have a few of those tiny pots. I loved the story of Dickon, an English boy first saved, then enslaved, then adopted by the Lenape, and how he struggles to adapt to a new culture. I loved how the book respectfully told the story of everyday indigenous people: some smart & brave, some devious, some admirable, some not. Dickon is a hero in the sense of YA boys' novels, but he doesn't always win the day -- for example, he doesn't get the girl he loves (but he does get the wonderful & smart little dog). In this book, I met crops that the Lenape cultivated that were passed down for generations, and that we continued to grow on my sister's farm, like Long Island "cheese pumpkins," white scallop squash, and cranberry beans.

I've read Harrington's book multiple times as an adult and it remains an involving story with much excellent cultural and linguistic information about the Leni Lenape people. Today I can see more clearly some of the flaws & appropriation in the story, how some characters are stereotyped or one-dimensional. The ceremonies depicted are very likely not too accurate. The authenticity of the Walam Olam sacred text, which appears in the book, has in recent years been challenged and it's been exposed as a 19th century hoax. And yet, it made a huge impact on my life and I continue to treasure The Indians of New Jersey.

[Daniel C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book because I was curious about Lenape culture and mythology. I thought it would give me a bit of that with some adventure mixed in. The book seems to be written for middle-school Boy Scouts and if I had the time I would certainly be all into making arrowheads while chowing down on sapan in my lean-to. It didn’t really give me as much of the mythology info as I wanted but I at least now know to look for the Walam Olum. The only thing I would have wanted was a little better description of the various foods or how exactly they were carrying around the bear grease. I don’t think it will spoil it too say that Toad-face is a real piece of work.

[Sylvester (Taking a break in 2023) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written and illustrated.
A shipwrecked boy is rescued by Lenape aboriginals. He works as their servant at first, until a family adopts him.
Wonderful descriptions of how the tribe hunts, makes food and shelter, clothing. Their traditions and cultural stories - Dickon becomes one of them, and almost all are kind and welcoming.

[Andrew Weitzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty much a summation of the how the Lenapes lived, their culture and crafts, and religious beliefs, served up as a YA adventure novel. It's pretty fun. I think if you are the parent of a 15-year-old boy scout, you should find him a copy because this would be right up that alley.

[Taryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the first books we read aloud together as a family, and every one of us loved it. Our kids still talk about this book, and use it for pretend play.

[Jenna Hendrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfection

[Joseph Mello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible, the accuracy of the Lenape culture is blended perfectly with a heartfelt first-person story.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I purchased this book 15 or so years ago. I never got around to reading it. A couple years ago my school district purchased us a copy of this as a reference (?) with our students (perhaps a read aloud). As I worked through the remaining physical books I have to read, I organized the last 35 or so. I knocked off the first several and am now at the run of six books about New Jersey. This was the first in the list.

Admittedly, I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I did not have high hopes for it, but I was wrong in my expectation. I found this historical fiction story compelling. One absolutely learns about the Lenni Lenape from reading this. My elementary understanding of their culture exploded from reading this. Furthermore, the story of Dickon/Day'kay-ning/In the Forest was heart-warming, interesting, and well-told. I truly did not expect that.

Day'kay-ning was shipwrecked. He found home with the Lenape at Turtle Land. He learned the way of the tribe first by doing the women's work, where he excelled and then later as a man. For a book written in the 1930s, I was surprised at the events of the tale, particularly those involving Toad-Face. I think Harrington was ahead of his time with storytelling.

Sure, it was a bit fanciful that a white boy would excel so much within the tribe, but one needed to remind himself that this was fiction after all. I liked that he didn't win everything (the girl). I also liked that Day'kay-ning's Christian values remain true to his essence throughout the book despite his becoming a Lenape.

I do not see my fourth graders reading this. I don't think I will use it as a read aloud given the length of the book. I can see using certain passages (the house building, for instance) with my students. The explanation of the Big House would do well to round out the brief passage from our textbook.

If you are interested in the Lenni Lenape, I suggest reading this.

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

This work of YA historical fiction by a scholar of East Coast Native Americans first appeared in the 1960s and it reads like a 19th Century Boys' Adventure book. It has one or two things in it that I suspect are off the mark, like a chapter about the Walam Olum, and probably some of the social relations which he was presumably getting from old colonist accounts and informants from 20th Century Delaware Indians are maybe a little shaky. Still, it is great fun to read and richly illustrated and according to people who should know better than me, one of the most accurate descriptions of daily Lenape life.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love studying American history with the kids and this is one of my favorite books even though it has just about the worst title in the history of historical fiction. Better than a textbook at teaching about Native American life, this story engages in the midst of descriptive passages. We decided, though, from 1st grader to adult, that we each would have written a different ending. Regardless, a great addition to our Native American studies.

[rhewryk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. It talks about how the Indians of New Jersey lived in great detail. The facts are amazing and I learned a lot of information by reading this book. I strongly advise readers to read this book. It is one of my 'all time favorites'.

[Susan Tryforos · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is a lot of information included in this novel, which is sort of historical fiction although supposedly one of the best books available about the Lenape. I was initially put off by the conceit of teaching history through a made up storyline but it kind of grew on me after a bit.

[Jobiska (Cindy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I own this one, but as a child I read an older hardcover edition. I've got to go back and see what my impression is as an adult.

[Abby Walden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Best book ever about native americans! You have to read this! A bit of a challenging book for young people, but a great piece of historical fiction.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A present for my 14th birthday, it made a lasting impression.

[Jason Perlman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A masterpiece - a treasure trove of anthropological lore wrapped up in a delightful (and richly illustrated) story.