People’s culture comprises their traditions, values, customs, and beliefs and how they interact within their community. The Lenape culture is one of the most significant one in the development of New Jersey (Kraft). The ancient Lenape culture was rich and had a significant impact on modern-day lives. The culture of the Lenape people has been preserved in many ways through various social traditions, but there is a need to incorporate it into the mainstream traditions to promote its understanding among generations.
Many aspects of Lenape culture are prevalent in present-day lives, such as ceremonies, dances, and stories, for example, marks on raccoons’ faces and when squirrels were giant. Other aspects of Lenape culture that are still part of our daily lives include leisure activities, such as dancing and playing. The Lenape Indian football, Pahsaheman, people played in groups based on gender, males against females (Kraft). However, men only used their feet to pass and kick the ball, but women would use both their feet and hands. This shows the Lenape people’s cultural diversity and underscores the need to consolidate it into modern-day society to understand it better.
The Lenape Culture can be incorporated into making us understand Sussex County or New Jersey. For example, museums could be established, and ancient materials found on major rivers like Delaware, Raritan, Paulinskill, among others, be preserved (Kraft). Additionally, the Lenape Waterloo Village can be preserved to help future generations understand and learn more about it. Moreover, more archive websites should be created to preserve the rich history and culture of the Lenape people. These efforts can help preserve Lenape culture and enable present and future generations to understand Sussex County and New Jersey better.
In conclusion, even though the Lenape people existed a long time ago, their culture and archaeological remains show a rich heritage in tradition and culture. Therefore, they have left a mark not only in Sussex County but also in their American history, which is very informative and is still historically significant. Most of the culture’s elements are still in the present-day lives, and there is a need to include those traditions in the current society to promote and preserve the culture.
Work Cited
Kraft, John. “Learning Lenape.”New Jersey Skylands, 2021, Web.