The body of water that forms the border here between New York and Pennsylvania is widely known as the Delaware River, but there is an older nomenclature for it—the Lenape Sipu. The Lenape are the original inhabitants of the Delaware River valley, the term “Lenape” translating to “people,” and “sipu” is the word in their language for “river.” Thus, to give a direct translation of this body of water that so many use for recreation, peace and sustenance, the name is “the river of the people.”

Every four years, members of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, with an open invitation for anyone who feels called to join in, paddle down the length of the Delaware River on the Rising Nation River Journey. The journey includes intentional stops along the way for Treaty Signing events, in which organizations and individuals can sign a Treaty of Renewed Friendship that aims to protect the environment and spread indigenous awareness. 

This year the journey began in Damascus, PA, launching from Willow Wisp Organic Farm on August 3, and ending in Cape May, NJ at the Cape May Arts & Science Center on August 15.

The River Journey began as an idea in 2002 from Lenape council member and river journey founder Jim Beer, and has happened every four years since. This year’s journey averaged 30-something paddlers on the water most days, ranging in age from retired elders to children as young as seven years old. 

“If there’s any magic on this earth, I say it’s water,” said Beer at the treaty signing at the Zane Grey Museum in Lackawaxen, explaining the ethos of “all our relations,” a philosophy that acknowledges how we as humans are connected to everything around us—the deer, the plants, the bugs—we all need water and all have it flowing through us.

Beer explained how in many origin stories, water is not created, it is already there, as if it is part of the story and the foundation of our lives all along. 

“We travel down the Lenape Sipu, the river of human beings, and everyone in the world is invited to paddle along with us. We are paddling for partnership; we are paddling for preservation; we’re paddling for protection. Our theme this year is the protection of clean water,” said Beer.

Why a new treaty?

This year, Willow Wisp Organic Farm, the Equinunk Historical Society, the Zane Grey Museum, and Pocono Environmental Education Center were among treaty signing sites locally.

“The signing of the treaty is a commitment to come together and work on indigenous awareness and environmental preservation,” said Chief Adam Waterbear, tribal storykeeper and director of education.

“Oftentimes you hear about western tribes [like the Navajo], and when you hear about the Woodland tribes you hear about the Iroquois, but the Lenape are the original people of this land,” explained Shelley DePaul, language keeper for the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania.

The treaty signings are inspired by the friendship between William Penn and Chief Tamanend, whose bond crossed cultural lines so well that it was referred to as “the Holy Experiment.” 

In this spirit, the Treaty of Renewed Friendship serves as a “handshake agreement” to support the tribe by committing to one or more of the following: hosting educational programs, partnering as caretakers of the Lenape homeland and Delaware River, assisting in Lenape language revival, helping to protect sacred land sites, and encouraging updated information and curriculum.

Chief Waterbear brought to the forefront the lack of common knowledge about the Lenape, along with the painful history of colonial oppression.

“Why isn’t this knowledge as common as arithmetic?” he posed to those gathered at the treaty signing. “These are things you should learn about at least in school. But our history, our presence here, has been intentionally hidden from you.” 

“William Penn’s sons did not share in the spirit of friendliness and respect that their father had,” Waterbear said. “Penn’s sons orchestrated the Walking Purchase, one of the most famous underhanded land swindles for our people. Penn’s grandsons published bounties on our scalps and for Lenape people to be brought into slavery.” 

Though many Lenape were forced west and northward—to Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Ontario—some members of the tribe were able to stay in their homeland, if they “hid every aspect of their Lenape culture,” he said. 

“Our ancestors who stayed here could not speak in their language, dress in their dress. We could not hold any ceremonies or spiritual gatherings. If you wanted to stay here you talked and dressed like a colonist. You kept your head down and hoped that would be enough for people to pass you by. This is what we call the hiding times,” said Waterbear.

“This was a time where even teaching your own child your own language in the back room of your own house could run the risk of having your children taken away and forced into an Indian boarding school where the Native American would be ‘trained’ out of them, sometimes under the most harsh and unimaginable circumstances.”

“We are indebted to our ancestors of that time, because despite all the risks of doing so, they refused to let our culture die. They passed our language down, our crafts, our ceremonies in secret for hundreds of years. This is how Lenape culture and community survived in our homelands.”

Still here

“We’re still here,” said Waterbear, “Some of us never left. We’re standing behind you in the grocery store.”

Beer spoke of a parade that happened annually for over 100 years in Philadelphia in honor of Chief Tamanend.

“People were out in buckskin and coonskin caps in the streets of Philly for over 100 years to honor a Lenape chief. What happened?” Beer polled the crowd, “How many people knew that parade existed?”

This year, the treaty accumulated dozens of signatures as it made its way down the river, ranging from nonprofits to educators, citizens and mayors, including the mayor of Honesdale.  

The end of the journey featured a concert in Cape May opened by singer-songwriter Jim Beer and son Ahlankw Beer, followed by a performance from three-time Grammy award-winner Bill Miller, who had also played at the river journey’s founding in 2002. The final treaty signing of 2026 was accompanied by a drum circle from Stoney’s Boys, a group that combines the voices and drumming hands of three Lenape generations.

Gratitude was shared for the time spent together and gifts of thanks exchanged to leaders who made the journey possible, including a handmade drum and river otter skin. 

“Like the river moves, it’s rough sometimes and smooth sometimes, and that’s how life is. So many lessons we’re learning as we go down the river; we have to hang on to that and take that energy with us,” said Beer. “This is important, because we want to change the future. We are figuring that the best way to change the future is together.”

Waterbear emphasized, after sharing a Lenape story about four crows representing different points in time, that now is the time for humanity to come together.  

“We hear the fourth crow telling us of a new harmony that takes place now, not a Lenape harmony, not even a Native American harmony, but a human harmony, with us and all of our new neighbors who are here today.”

“The level of atrocities that befell our people, I don’t know if that can ever be corrected, but what we can do is gather in healing the generational trauma of that time by becoming aware, learning about each other, sharing our cultures together.”

“The fourth crow is about all of us coming together to become the friends we should be organically and should have been from the start, and to join together in protecting our homelands, our environment, our water and each other.”

“We look around the room at how many people and how many organizations show up to be part of this meeting, and we say, this has to be the fourth crow. This is that harmony.”