The land we stand on now, as Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians, was originally inhabited by the Lenni Lenape people and was called “Lënapehòkink.” The Lenni Lenape historically included three groups that inhabited the area from what is now Staten Island, NY, to the Delaware shores; they were a matrilineal society that lived in harmony for thousands of years before the European colonization of the United States.  

We cannot tell the history of this region without acknowledging the Lenni Lenape people as the original inhabitants of the land we live and thrive on today. We also must recognize the settler-colonial genocide brought against them, which tried to erase any resemblance of their community from history. During the colonial and early feudal periods, many Lenni Lenape were forcibly moved west to the Oklahoma reservations and north following the Indian Removal Act of 1860. Some are still here to this day as they continue living with historical tribal communities of the region. Tragically, disease and war brought about partly by the European invasion had thinned the once thriving and proud people’s population from 20,000 to about a few thousand.   

Temple University honors the Lenni Lenape people still present in Lënapehòkink and those who continue to return to their land. We honor the tenacity of a people who have stood tall, resisted this genocide, and continue to practice their culture. In honoring our commitment to the Lenni Lenape, the university is currently developing a land acknowledgement statement.  We stand with the desire of the great Lenape Chief Tamanend, who aspired for peace and harmony among the Indigenous people of this land and the descendants of the immigrants who settled here.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                 -- Waliullah Mubashir Rana