Thump! As they slowly opened their eyes, the friends were no longer in the stuffy attic. There they were, sitting on the trunk in the middle of what looked amazingly like some kind of Indian village surrounded by cedar and birch trees.

“Where in the world are we?” Ryan wondered out loud.

“I have no idea!” Alyssa replied.

Nina guessed, “The trunk! The trunk! It must be some kind of magical time machine.”

Alyssa quickly sputtered, “Let’s check out this place!”

So, as they began their search, they spotted three small children approaching.

“Who are they?” the friends asked each other.

“Look at their copper-toned skin and straight black hair,” Alyssa remarked.

“Yeah, and check out their dark eyes and high cheekbones,” Ryan added.

“I think the animal skins, shell necklaces, and soft, brown shoes that they’re wearing are really cool,” Nina said.

Alyssa bravely asked, “Hi! Can you help us?”

The smallest of the three answered with surprise to the strange looking visitors, “Welcome to our Lenape village. Come with us, and we’ll tell you all about our tribe.”

“Lenape? That’s the name of my sister’s school. Lenape High School,” Nina said with pride.

Their new friends introduced themselves as Little Bear, Flying Squirrel, and Smiling Fawn, and took them to their chief’s wigwam. In total amazement, they listened to Chief Powhatan as he told them the story of his people…

“We are the Lenni-Lenape, the first people to live in Burlington County. Lenni-Lenape means ‘The Original People’. There are three main tribes. The Munsee, from the north, are known as the People of the Stony Country. Their symbol is the wolf. The Unilachtigo, from the south, are known as ‘The People Who Live Near The Ocean’. Their symbol is the turkey. We are the Unami tribe, which means ‘The People Down The River’. We live near the Delaware River by the forks of the Rancocas and Pennsauken Creeks. Our symbol is the turtle.”

Alyssa excitedly asked, “Tell us about your homes. Do your houses have attics? And what about the food you eat?”

“Little Bear, tell them about our homes,” suggested the chief.

Little Bear took a deep breath and began…

“The men of our tribe select a good site for our homes. They choose a spot that is near water. It must also be close to a forest with plenty of trees and wildlife to hunt. There needs to be a lot of good soil. Everything we need comes from ‘Mother Earth’. When we use something from the Earth, like an animal, we make sure to use every part of it carefully and wisely so as not to waste. ‘Mother Earth’ gives us all we need to survive.

Our families live in bark houses called wigwams made by bending branches to form a domed shape. The wigwam is covered by bark or hides and always has a hole at the top to let out smoke from a fire.

Another kind of home for more than one family, or a meeting place, is called a longhouse. This is a rectangular shaped building made with long tree trunks and covered with bark. It can be as big as 60 feet long and 20 feet wide! Each family has their own living space with a fire that keeps the family warm, and gives them a place to cook.”

The chief interrupted, “Flying Squirrel and Smiling Fawn, tell them about our food.”

“I’ve got a better idea,” said Ryan, “We’re hungry! May we try some?”

When Little Bear heard this, he said, “Okay Ryan, let’s go hunting. That’s what the men and boys do. We Lenape eat when we are hungry!”

Little Bear taught Ryan all about hunting…

“First, we have to make our own bows and arrows, spears, knives and traps with sharp stones, bones, and wood for hunting tools. We hunt bear, otter, beaver, deer, rabbit, raccoon, turkey, pheasants, badgers, and squirrels. We’re very good fishermen, too! Fishing from our dugout or birchbark canoes, we find shad, pike, and herring in the Rancocas Creek. We can make fishhooks from sharpened bones and bird claws, too. Sometimes, in the summer, my sisters and I walk along the Lenni Lenape Path on the way to the shore to gather shellfish like oysters, mussels, and clams.”

“When we go to the shore through Manahawkin to get to Long Beach Island, we travel Route 70. I bet that’s the same road,” Ryan exclaimed.

So off they went!

While the boys were off hunting, Smiling Fawn and Flying Squirrel taught Alyssa and Nina all about the girls’ jobs…

“It’s the women’s and girls’ job to plant, grow, and harvest crops. We make tools like a hoe from a deer’s shoulder bone, and a pick from the deer’s antlers. Some of the things we plant are corn, pumpkins, sunflowers, squash, beans, and sweet potatoes. Fish heads are used as fertilizer. We collect food like apples, plums, cranberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, chestnuts, hickory nuts, skunk cabbage, and onions in hand-woven baskets.”

After the hunting and gathering were finished, they all came back to the longhouse in the center of the village.

The new friends shared a Lenni Lenape meal of venison, morning glory roots and suppan. While they ate, the chief explained to the visitors that his people ate well during the summer. The winter months were difficult. So, during the busy autumn days they needed to preserve their food by drying, smoking, and storing it.

“Wow! We learned a lot today. You must have a really good school,” Nina said excitedly.

“School? What’s a school? Everything we learn comes from our parents and elders,” answered Flying Squirrel.

“Speaking of parents. I’m sure my mom’s worried about us,” Alyssa said, “We better get back to the trunk!”

They thanked their new Lenni Lenape friends, and raced back to the trunk. Excitedly Ryan said, “It’s my
turn to reach into the trunk.”

He reached inside and pulled out what looked like a model of a tall sailing ship. The friends rubbed the dirt from a small bronze plate on the side of the ship. The word “Kent” was printed on it.

As the friends grabbed hold of it, they suddenly began to spin...and spin…and spin. Hand in hand, with eyes shut tightly, they spiraled down…down… down…until…