The tribe is made up of descendants of Algonquian-speaking Nanticoke and Lenape peoples who remained in or returned to their ancient homeland at Delaware Bay.
The Nanticoke and Lenni-Lenape peoples were among the first in what is now the United States to resist European encroachment upon their lands, among the first to sign treaties in an attempt to create a peaceful coexistence, and were among the first to be forced onto reservations on the Delmarva Peninsula and in New Jersey.
[1] The Council of the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe passed a law forbidding participation in casino gaming and the sale of cigarettes or alcohol.
[3] The Lenape ancestors of the modern tribe are those who inhabited present-day New Jersey, Delaware, southeastern New York, and eastern Pennsylvania at the time of European encounter.
[citation needed] The European colonists often relied on the Lenape to settle disputes among neighboring tribal groups and admired them for their hospitality and diplomatic skills.
[citation needed] Nanticoke migration began in the early 17th century from the Eastern Shore of Maryland through southeastern Delaware to evade European encroachment.
[citation needed] As early as 1704, the English colonial governments restricted the Nanticoke living in the Delmarva Peninsula to the Chicone (Chiconi), Broad Creek, and Indian River reservations.
[citation needed] Because of continuing conflict with European settlers encroaching upon Tribal lands, many of the Tribe’s members were killed or removed from their homelands.
[citation needed] In 1978, The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribe established a tribally governed 501(c)3 non-profit community benefit agency, “The Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians of New Jersey.” It is chartered for educational, social, and cultural purposes, to promote the welfare of Native Americans who reside in the Delaware Valley; to extend charity in all forms to those Native Americans in need, giving priority to Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Indians residing in the Delaware Valley; to establish cultural and instructional facilities; to improve health and welfare, housing, human rights, and economic security; to acquire and preserve land and water areas in a natural scenic or open condition consistent with the heritage of the Native Americans who reside in the Delaware Valley.
The largest American Indian tribe in New Jersey, the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape enjoy friendly relations with the nation of Sweden, which acknowledges its tribal identity and sovereignty.
Sweden recently celebrated its more than 350-year-old treaty of friendship with the Tribe, dating to the early settlement of Swedes and Finns in the land of the Lenape before Dutch and British colonial powers settled in the area.
According to the 2000 United States Census, an additional 9000 persons living in Cumberland County, New Jersey area, other than enrolled members, identified as Native Americans.