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The Legend of the Unami Clan
Little remains of the Unami Clan. The
wigwams fell apart; the hides and baskets and other artifacts are gone.
There are a few chipped blades, axe heads, and arrowheads, but for the
most part, the Unami Clan has gone, leaving surprisingly little trace of
their presence. This legend is an attempt to piece together the
facts and early records of the Indian community named the Unami or
Turtle Clan.
The definition of the word "Unami" has
not been established, but there are two theories on it. The first
meaning is "down river people", probably because of the Unami
Clan’s location in Pennsylvania. The second is
"original people", because they were one of the first tribes
to inhabit this region.
The Turtle Clan was the most powerful of the three
divisions of the Lenni-Lenape group. The other two were the Wolf
and Turkey clans. The special importance of the chief clan was
shown by its totem symbol, the tortoise. This tortoise is the
symbol of life, of the earth, and of the origin of all things.
Shackamaxon was thought to be the capital of the
Delaware Indian Nation. The chief of the Unami Clan sat at the
head of all council meetings. The Unamians started all their
prayers and meetings by chanting the word, "ho", twelve times
facing a post in the middle of the longhouse.
Little is known of the Unami Clan’s history,
because they had few records or monuments. Most of the history is
taken from legends written by early colonists who had taken the time to
write them down. The Unami Indians first came from the west,
perhaps across the Bering Straits, before the land link submerged
between Asia and North America. There were stories of surviving
great floods, crossing great rivers, and wars with other tribes to be
able to lay claim to the land. It is thought that they might have
been the lost tribe of Israel (Ancestors).
A Unamian told Reverend Charles Beatty in 1767
that his people had come to the Delaware River, according to a bead
tally, from around the Mississippi River. They were chased away by
some overpowering tribe, perhaps the Iroquois.
They moved to an area along the coast of
Pennsylvania, which was much more ideal for them. Their territory
stretched from the mouth of the Lehigh River to the Delaware River,
which made it a perfect place to live since their way of life was based
upon fishing.
In 1763, the Unamians had given up the last of
their land in Pennsylvania. They became homeless and wandered into
many states looking for an area to lay claim as their new land.
During this wandering they crossed into at least 10 states. The
Unamians advanced westward faster than early colonists did, but soon the
colonists would reach them and force them even further west.
During the middle 1700s, their population
dwindled; meanwhile, the colonists were engaged in the Revolutionary
War. Some Unamians fought on the side of the British, who had
promised to return their land, but some also fought for the colonies.
In 1778, the new Congress decided to make the
chiefs head of a new, all-Indian state and that the Delaware chief
should represent them in Congress.
The Unamians wanted permanent lands, but Congress
was slow to act and so war was declared. The government sent
General Anthony Wayne and his men to fight the Unamians and their
allies. At the Battle of Fallen Timbers, the Americans defeated
the joint Indian army. Although victorious, the Americans granted
in the Treaty of Greenville, fishing and hunting rights to the Indians.
In 1812, some members of the Unami Clan reached
Oklahoma where they made a permanent home. Other Unamians migrated
north to Canada. The last remaining artifacts of the Unami Indians
are kept in the Philbrook Museum in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
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