Culture

A common belief shared by some Algonquin maintains that the Renapi, Nanticoke (a related Algonkian tribe now in Delaware and Maryland), and Shawnee were, at some point in the past, a single tribe which lived in the Renapi homeland. The Renapi were not really a single tribe but a set of independent settlements and bands. There were band leaders, but no central political authority. Some Renapi leaders controlled settlements,  usually located along a stream. There was, however, a common sense of being "Renapi" from a shared system of three matrilineal clans which cut across the settlements and band organizations: the Turtle clan ranked first, followed by the Wolf and Turkey. They cooperated and shared values. Until the mid-1800s, they were riverine peoples, living beside rivers. They hunted and fished and also planted corn, squash and beans as staple crops. They lived in semi-permanent communities in wood and bark covered oblong or circular homes. The longer the house, the more related families lived together. They wore leather clothing trimmed in quill work for decoration. Later, they traded for gingham cloth and ribbons to make clothing. The men wore turbans rather than headdresses.  Because they lived in a wooded area, they did not for the most part ride horses. Horses later were used for farming or long distance travel, until tractors or cars were available. They made canoes from wood and bark (birchbark, until a blight killed the birch), animal hides, or wood (dugouts). They used this mode of transportation until other means replaced canoes. The women and men made ash baskets. The women often made "fancy" baskets for sale to tourists. These were ash baskets that were embellished with looped ash woven to produce a design. Other crafts included birchbark decorated with quill work, and glass beads sewn on blue or red flannel cloth. Today,  the crafts are being revived in the elementary school and in summer programs for youth.