On Aug. 24, 2002 an historic event took place at the Pennsbury Manor, the former estate of William Penn in Morrisville, Bucks County, that marked a new beginning of friendship between the Lenape People of Pennsylvania and the people who neighbor the Delaware River. The Treaty of Renewed Friendship was signed by the Lenape and a number of organizations and committed individuals who wish to actively support Lenape culture and to act as good stewards of their sacred Delaware River and homelands.
In order to commemorate and promulgate the treaty, the signing was coupled with an equally historic and monumental three-week canoe journey, which began at the top of the Delaware River in Hancock, New York and culminated in Cape May. Members of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania welcomed any committed individuals to paddle along with them, and they stopped all along the river to hold signings of the Treaty and offer programs about Lenape culture and presence. Treaty-signers were welcomed to offer presentations on their initiatives in stewarding the environment and promoting awareness of Lenape culture.
It was agreed that the re-signing of the Treaty as well as the River Journey would take place every four years, and did so again in the years of 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022.
As of the 2022 Rising Nation River Journey — which marked the 20-year anniversary of the Journey and Treaty — over 130 organizations, including environmental groups, colleges and universities, mayors, faith-based organizations and historical societies, plus over 300 committed individuals have signed the Treaty of Renewed Friendship. These relationships have resulted in continuous collaborations to help combat the erasure of the Lenape People in their homelands and protect the lands, wildlife and waterways of the Lenapehokink.
The group now prepares for the 2026 journey, happening Aug. 1-15 from Damascus, Wayne County to Cape May, with a stop on Aug. 12 at the Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Ave.
As a group, the LNPA is dedicated to increasing awareness of Lenape history and presence, revitalizing and educating about Lenape culture and stewarding indigenous homelands of eastern Pennsylvania, southern New York, New Jersey and northern Delaware, with special attention to the Lenape Sipu (Delaware River) and watershed.
Stewardship of the Delaware River and Watershed has been central to Lenape culture since time immemorial. For decades, the LNPA has partnered with environmental organizations who support this endeavor. The RNRJ provides education, publicity, networking and cultural programs that support cultural awareness and environmental stewardship from the confluence of the Delaware River branches in Hancock, New York to Cape May.
All along the RNRJ, the group stops to conduct signings of The Treaty of Renewed Friendship, a non-legally binding agreement to support the Lenape people and steward the Delaware River. At each Treaty Signing event, LNPA offers cultural programs and invites local partners to offer programs to educate the public about their environmental initiatives. The partnerships formed through the RNRJ have resulted in many important environmental initiatives over the last two decades, including activism and advocacy regarding dams, warehouses, fracking, “rockfall mitigation projects,” data centers and legislature that would unjustifiably harm the cultural, recreational and ecological significance of the Delaware River and Watershed.
The journey down the Lenape Sipu (Delaware River) is a joint effort to raise awareness, awaken the spirit and bestow the past, environmentally, culturally and historically, to the future. It is meant to promote the awareness that the Lenape people living in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are carrying on their ancestral traditions, culture and spiritual beliefs, and are engaged in numerous projects to provide practical ways for all citizens to respect and protect the health, welfare and future of the next seven generations. ••
The Treaty of Renewed Friendship states that those who sign acknowledge the Lenape as the indigenous caretakers of Eastern PA, Southern NY, NJ, and northern DE, and agree to support the Lenape Tribe in their own unique way. The Treaty is is not a legally binding contract; rather, it is an agreement of heart, mind and spirit connected to the traditional cultural values of the Lenape people.
