17th and 18th centuries In 1669, the Munsee aided the
Esopus people in attacking the
Dutch colonists, and were defeated by
Martin Cregier in the
Esopus Wars. By a fraudulent treaty known as the
Walking Purchase, the main body of the Munsee was forced to move from the Delaware River about the year 1740. They settled on the
Susquehanna River, on lands assigned them by the
Haudenosaunee (Iroquois, 'ökwé'ö:weh - "The only true men"). Soon afterward they moved west, joining the main Lenape settlements on the
Ohio River. Most became incorporated with that group. In 1756, those remaining in New York were placed upon lands in
Schoharie County and were incorporated with the
Mohawk. drew off from the rest and formed a separate organization, most of them moving to
Canada during the
American Revolution.
19th century Some Christian Munsee joined the
Ojibwe and
Stockbridge people in
Wisconsin. The majority joined the rest of the Lenape, with whom they participated in their subsequent wars and removals. In 1837, Christian Munsees, also called Delaware-Munsies, settled among fellow Lenape in
Kansas. In 1859, the Christian Munsees moved to
Franklin County, Kansas, and joined a band of
Ojibwe people who had migrated south from Michigan.
20th and 21st centuries The Lenape who kept the name of Munsee were in three bands in the early 20th century in Canada and the United States. Two had consolidated with remnants of other nations so that no separate census is available. These nations were: •
Eelūnaapèewii Lahkèewiit, formerly the
Delaware Nation at Moraviantown and
Munsee of the Thames, a First Nation headquartered near
Thamesville, Ontario • Chippewa and Munsee,
Franklin County, Kansas •
Stockbridge-Munsee Community at Green Bay Agency, Wisconsin, now a
federally recognized tribe ==See also==