Research Guides: Indigenous Studies: Munsee

Munsee

This page provides resources for learning the Munsee language. Often, Munsee language materials are coded as "Delaware" in library collections. This custom search provides Princeton's catalog records with the language code of "Delaware". Additional sources can be found by searching for the subject "Munsee language" in the PUL catalog. Related language terms include "Unami", "Northern Unami", "Lenape" and "Lunaape".

Princeton Resources

Delaware-English, English-Delaware dictionary by John O'Meara
ISBN: 9781442627109
Publication Date: 2014
"Based on linguistic research carried out with Delaware speakers at Moraviantown, this is the first modern dictionary of Munsee Delaware. Each of the 7,100 entries in the Delaware-English section includes information on the word's grammatical category and gives examples of different inflected forms where appropriate. Also included are sample sentences used by Delaware speakers, grammatical and usage notes, cross references, and indications of words borrowed from Dutch and English. The English-Delaware section functions as an index to the Delaware-English section, and is based on the major vocabulary." -- Introduction.

Third Annual Munsee Language and History Symposium, 2023
"This event continues and deepens ongoing relationships with Lunaapeewak (Lenape people) from the Munsee-speaking tribal nations currently living in diaspora, bringing them together with Princeton students, staff, and faculty on their own traditional territory, Lunaapahkiing. Indigenous language revitalization counteracts the violent history of settler colonial regimes, including boarding schools where Native children were forced to speak English exclusively."
Lunaape / Delaware DPUL Collection
This online exhibit features a small collection of items related to the Lunaapeewak (Lenape or Delaware people) on whose ancestral lands sits the campus of Princeton University. Items include language-related materials from the Princeton University Library's Special Collections.

External Resources

Lenape Talking Dictionary
"This website is an online learning tool designed to support Lenape language education through its expansive dictionary and language lessons. Its primary function is translating words, sentences, and phrases from English to Lenape or vice versa. Each Lenape item in the search results includes an audio clip of a speaker of Lenape saying the item. In addition to over 17,000 words in the dictionary, the site also includes stories, usage examples, photos, and historical examples. The Lenape Talking Dictionary is the ultimate resource for learning Lenape, the Native American language of the Delaware Tribe of Indians."