Ramapough Mountain Indians/Temp

    Although the Ramapough Mountain Indians have resided in the Ramapough 
Mountains for more than three hundred years, there is very little documentation in New 
York or New Jersey that refers to the tribe. There are many reasons for this, starting with 
the lack of a written language by the Lenape people. The written history of the native 
people in this area was always left to the non-native community to write, and with their 
ignorance of Lenape ways and language, their documentation was seldom accurate. 
Therefore, we rely on our oral history more than the writings found in the history books. 
Most of the Europeans that came to Lenapehoking didn't understand that the different 
bands of natives that lived throughout New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania were all 
part of the whole Lenape Nation. The bands were known by the places they resided, 
therefore Europeans thought they were different Tribes. Each band had their own chief or 
Sachem, whom represented them. Although he was the representative, the majority of the 
Band made decisions. After the most of the Munsee migrated north, individuals and 
families made decisions for themselves. This caused even more confusion among the 
newcomers, and more trouble for the natives. The Lenape didn't believe anyone could 
own the land or water. They believed that would be like someone owning the air. You 
could only own what you can hold in your hand. Even that was for sharing. They 
believed the Creator put the land and water here for the survival of all people. Land 
couldn't be owned by one person, or group of people. They also believed that all things 
on Turtle Island had a life. The plants, animals, and even the rocks would give their life 
so the People could survive. When the whites wanted to buy the land, the Natives thought 
they wanted to give them gifts for sharing the land with them. Of course the new settlers
 didn't look at things in the same way, so when they "bought" the land, they would take 
action against the Lenape if they tried to use any part of it. When they realized what the 
settlers had in mind they began to refuse, but land speculators found ways of getting the 
land away from the Indians. It didn't matter if the signor was anyone of importance 
among his people, or if he had any claim to the land, as long as they put their mark on a 
deed, saying he was the rightful owner. They would also tell the person signing the deed 
that the boundary was at a different location than it really was, and so the Natives had no
idea that the deed turned over rights to thousands of acres.

    One of the first Ramapough Indians mentioned on a land deed was a woman who 
signed the deed as a witness. The family of Jon De Freese, a Tappan Indian, (also 
Munsee) was found to have moved into the Ramapough band some thirty years after he 
was listed on the New York Muster Roll. Another Indian named Mannis, who signed a 
few deeds throughout the Ramapough region, lived where Stag Brook runs into the 
Ramapough River, in Mahwah. Although he was never listed as a Ramapough, he was, 
because he lived on Ramapough land. A Frenchman named LaRue lived just down the 
river from Mannis. Mannis trusted him and enlisted his help in legal matters when they 
arose. Mannis thought so much of him, he named two of his sons after LaRue's sons, 
Aurie and Peter. After Mannis died, no one knew what had become of his sons. Then, in 
the 1790's, it was written, that a community of Indians lived near the Green Mountain 
Valley, just a few miles from Mannis' home. One of the leaders of the community was, 
Peter Mann. Peter the son of Mannis, changed his name to Peter Mann, so he could 
integrate into society. Other surnames were De Freese, (descendants of Jon De Freese) 
and De Groat (known throughout history as Indian people). 

    By the start of the American Revolution, most of the Southern Lenape People had 
moved west to Ohio and Pennsylvania. Most of the Munsee that lived on the northern 
border of Lenapehoking, had moved north into New York and New England. Some 
sought refuge in Canada. Some swore allegiance to the Rebels and fought in the 
Continental Army, only to come home after the war to find their homes had been taken 
and their families were nowhere to be found. With no place to go, most headed north to 
New England, where the Brotherton Indians from New Jersey (named after the first 
Indian Reservation in the New World) had gone. As they moved north, some remained 
with other native people they encountered along the way. Some remained in the 
Ramapough Mountains, which at that time had an established community of more than 
thirty years. The mountains were claimed by both New York and New Jersey and their 
overlapping borders were ideal for the natives in the Ramapough's because they were left 
to themselves. The official border was surveyed and mapped out in 1798 but by then, the 
Ramapoughs were securely entrenched. As the years passed, other native people trekked 
through the Ramapo pass and some took up residence with the Ramapough Indians.

    Victor Jaquemont wrote about Indians, with blood from the original Natives from the 
area, living in the mountains in 1827. He stayed just a few miles away from the Green 
Mountain Valley when he wrote about them. 

    Squire Christi lived along the Ramapough River in Mahwah from the 1700's, until his 
death in the 1800's. Throughout his life, he spoke of seeing the Indians who lived in the 
mountains. So, it was common knowledge among the settlers in the valley that there were 
Indians living in the mountains. But the Indians only came down to trade and the settlers 
had no desire to go into the mountains.

    During the Revolution the outlaw Claudius Smith robbed the Erskine house on the 
west side of the mountains, and during the robbery told them he would fire his gun and 
bring 300 Indians hiding in the mountains down on them. 

    The Natives were left alone because no one had any reason to want the mountain land. 
The valley below had good soil for farming and the mountains were full of rocks. It was 
too hard to navigate up the side of the mountain to make it worth the effort. That all 
changed with the coming of the railroad. Trees were needed to make rails and fuel for the 
trains. This made the trip into the mountains more of a necessity. This also meant the 
Ramapough Indians would become more scrutinized as more curiosity seekers made their 
way into the mountains to see the "outcast tribe." Upon finding the Indians unwilling to 
talk about their private lives and the struggles they'd endured, people made up their own 
stories. Self-proclaimed historians and amateur archeologists would give their own 
versions. Elders of the tribe were passing down their history and culture to their children. 
The children were told to keep it a secret so they wouldn't be taken away. This terrible 
deed was still taking place into the twentieth century. Upon hearing that a parent had 
died, or became ill, so called do-gooders would rush into the mountains and gather up the 
children, and take them away. Some never had contact with their relatives again. Some 
contacted those who were left of their family fifty or sixty years later.

    Today the Ramapough and all other Lenape People are getting to know each other after 
more than 300 years of separation.
- from the offical website. Used with permission.>