The
RamaValley
Renapi Peoples
[Note: The Tribe described below is a fictional
tribe. The history and culture is as close to a compilation of
Algonkian tribal histories as literature and space permits. This
history's content and style are representative of Algonkian experiences
with Europeans and reflect values put forward by many tribal peoples
when confronted with environmental hazards. We welcome comment
and criticism of the accuracy of our fictional tribe. At the end
of this you will find links to Nations and tribes for further
information from tribes themselves.
Ramavalley
Renapi Tribal Band
Traditional Location
Originally in 1600, the bands that became known as the Ramavalley
Renapi occupied the Delaware River Valley from Cape Henlopen,
Delaware north to include the west side of the lower Hudson Valley
in southern New York. The historical Renapi were not migratory;
they occupied their homeland for thousands of years before the
coming of the Europeans. From the 1600s through the 1900s, European
settlement forced them to relocate over a dozen times. By 1900,
various Renapi tribal bands lived in: Delaware, New Jersey, New
York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Ontario,
Quebec, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas,
Kansas, and Oklahoma. Some bands of Renapi moved to RamaValley,
a part of their traditional homeland, where they were able to
remain through a combination of tribal purchase of lands and through
a treaty creating a Federally Recognized reserve. Some sister
reserves are near the, Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma and the Huron
and Micmac (Huron, Micmac, Assiniboine, etc.). Names The Renapi
translates either as "original people." To other tribes, including
their sister Algonquins, the Renapi were seen as the "grandfathers,"
from the widely held belief that they were the original tribe
of all "people of the Dawn" or Eastern tribes. Renapi Language
Their language is an Algonquin dialect which included a mixture
of Munsee and Mahican.