Throughout my childhood I was told stories of our family and the tribes past. Every story became more and more interesting to me. I wanted to know the entire history of the Delaware's and make sure I would carry on the traditions and lifestyles the best way I could. It has been said that in my great grandfathers time the Delaware's owned and occupied a vast and magnificent territory extending along the Atlantic coast from Virginia to Massachusetts. Before the 1620's the Delaware were very powerful people in the land. The traditional home of our tribe in that time was at the River Basin, an area that extends from what is now Southern New York to Delaware Bay. But the location of our tribe on the Atlantic coast brought the tribe into early contact with the Eng

The Delaware's style of living has not changed much since my great grandfathers days. The Delaware tribe has never depended solely upon the chase for subsistence. We grow large fields of corn, squash, beans, sweet potatoes, and tobacco. We manufacture pottery, dressed deerskins, beads or wampum, feather mantels and other ornaments. We also use considerable native copper, which we hammer into ornaments or use for arrowheads and pipes. I sometimes use copper to make stone pipes and bows and arrows. Throughout the many years our implements of war have continually been war clubs, tomahawks, bows and arrows, scalping knives, and spears. We often use spear for killing fish and game. But we also catch fish with hooks made of bone, dried bird claws, and brush nets.

In 1845 Texas was annexed, but we Delaware's continued to play important roles as scouts, diplomats, and interpreters for the United States Army and Indian Bureau. During this time "Black Bear" became a very prominent Delaware chief, guiding Randolph B. Marcy's map-making expedition through west Texas. In 1854 remnants of our tribe and other tribes were moved to the Brazos Indian Reservation established by the United States Government on the Brazo's River. But the reservation was short lived. In 1859 we were transplanted to a site on the Washita River in the vicinity of present Anadarko, Oklahoma.

In 1789 things finally got better for a group of us Delaware's. We received permission from Spanish officials to move into Missouri. We settled near Cape Girardeau for several years until we drifted into Texas around 1820 and settled in the northeast corner. My health has become a major problem in the last couple of years. I can drift no longer. My legs are weak and my heart is sore. I will not be leaving this province before I die.

Both men and women have important responsibilities in the tribe. The men are the hunters, fisherman, warriors and healers. The women are the farmers, cooks, seamstresses, and usually take care of the children.

When President Houston was reelected in 1841 he immediately reinstated his peace policy. He negotiated a treaty with us, and remnants of eight other tribes. Houston then elicited our aid in his attempt to make peace with the Comanche's. He allowed a group of us Delaware scouts including myself, to settle along the Brazos and Bosque Rivers, where we used our influence to encourage the Comanche's to come to Council. Our diplomacy helped bring the Comanche's to a Treaty Council in 1844.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Delaware Bay, Cape Girardeau, Walking Purchase, Nations Iroquois, Penn Quakers, Cherokee Nation, Lenni Lenape, President Houston, Illinois Missouri, Delaware's English, delaware tribe, indian territory, bows arrows, native homeland, walking purchase, steam baths, living quarters, aspects life, ceded land, native americans,
Approximate Word count = 1894
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)