The First Peoples of New Jersey

By: Alec Rodriguez 

(Benjamin West, Penn's Treaty with the Indians, 1771 )

Introduction

At least 10,000 years before the formation of what are now called the Delaware Tribe, the Lenae Lenape tribe of Indians that were predominantly located within the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware were originally denoted by the term “paleo-indian” (Moss Jr., 1991). This distinct group of ancient peoples were the first occupants within North America, approximately 13,000 years ago during the events of the last ice age (Moss Jr., 1991). Originally coming eastward from the asiatic continent across the Bering Strait land bridge known as Beringia, Paleo-Indians originally arrived within the western part of the United States, with specific groups ultimately making their way towards the eastern coast to settle (Moss Jr., 1991). Within the beginning of their time within North America, five specific time periods have been identified up until what is known as the Late Woodland Period which begins almost 800 years before Christopher Columbus settled within America and extends past his expedition by a little over 150 years during the time when the original thirteen colonies were formally established and operating independently (Moss Jr., 1991). 

Timeline (BCE: Before Common Era, CE: Common Era)

Paleo Indian: 10,500 BCE - 8,000 BCE

Archaic Indian: 8,000 BCE - 1750 BCE (The first pyramid was built around 2670 BCE, towards the end of this period.)

Transitional: 1,750 BCE - 1,000 BCE

Early Woodland: 1,000 BCE - 500 BCE

Middle Woodland: 500 BCE - 700 CE (The Roman Empire was founded about 450 years after 500 BCE.)

Late Woodland: 700 CE - 1650 CE (The Roman Empire fell almost 250 years before the beginning of this period.)

(Woodland Period of North America. Legends of America. (n.d.). https://www.legendsofamerica.com/woodland-period/ )

The Art of Self-Sufficiency

The Late Woodland Period was foundational for the Lenae Lenape, as well as the Native American peoples. As you look around the visitor center within The Historic Allaire Village you may notice stone objects within display cases. These artifacts signify a strong Native American presence within our immediate area, as well as Allaire State Park, and many of them held much significance to the daily lives of the people who used them. Many of the artifacts in which you can see were found on Kessler Brothers Farm, which is now the water treatment plant located on Hospital Road within Wall Township, NJ. You will notice many distinct types of projectile points in neat assortments, many of which can be classified pequea, piney island, and bare island projectiles (R.V. Veit, personal communication, October, 2025). Additionally, you can find smaller projectile points used for hunting birds and small game (R.V. Veit, personal communication, October, 2025). Some other distinct artifacts you could see are the piney island and poplar island fishing spears, most likely utilized along the Manasquan River to fish (R.V. Veit, personal communication, October, 2025). Furthermore, stone knives used for cutting fabric or animal tendon were also necessary for day to day living, as they were a useful tool for crafting and foraging (R.V. Veit, personal communication, October, 2025). 

The Formation of a Permanent Culture

Some of the more technologically significant artifacts you can notice are things such as fishing weights, axe heads, mortars, pestles, hide scrappers, farming hoes, and even trade beads. These innovations can show us that towards the beginning of the Late Woodland Period, Native Americans moved from communal living and into small permanent settlements (Moss Jr., 1991). The glass trade beads within our display case resemble what european colonizers would have used to trade native americans for specific goods; most of these trade beads came from Holland and Venice located in Italy and the Netherlands, and were greatly sought after by Native Americans such as the Lenae Lenape (Illinois State Museum, n.d.). Additionally, the fishing weights and scrappers were important technologies utilized to help cultivate and process food for the community. Many times, scrapers were utilized to assist in the process of breaking down an animal, as well as in some instances, for woodworking and processing plant fibers (Nobles Pond, n.d.). Furthermore, the fishing sinker in our collection was used to hold up fishing nets to assist natives in the process of catching and processing marine life (North Lincoln County Historical Museum, n.d.).

(Illustration of a Native American creating a stone tool, The William Trent House, https://www.williamtrenthouse.org/archaeological-investigations.html)

How We Can Remember

As the Native Americans became displaced to the state of Oklahoma towards the end of the 19th century, it is important to remember the impact they have had on the land in which we currently reside. Many of the items you might come across along the ground such as arrow heads, pieces of ceramic, or trade beads may have belonged to a tribe. It is important to preserve the memory of these items in places that will take care of them and properly memorialize the history of this displaced population to share with others. It is easy to pick something up with a desire to keep it, but the object you may find could hold a valuable story of the person(s) who once utilized it to survive. This is why it is important to consult with your local museum, you never know what you might be in possession of that could tell you valuable information about the lives of others.

Resources

1999.051.1 Grooved Sinker Stone. North Lincoln County Historical Museum. (n.d.). https://northlincolncountyhistoricalmuseum.org/sinker/ 

Beads and Trade. Illinois State Museum. (n.d.). https://www.museum.state.il.us/ismdepts/anthro/beads/beads_trade.html 

End Scrapers at Nobles Pond. Nobles Pond - A Paleoindian Site. (n.d.). https://www.noblespondpaleo.info/endscrapers.htm#:~:text=An%20end%20scraper%20is%20a 

Moss, G. H. (1991). Monmouth... our Indian Heritage (3rd ed.). Monmouth County Historical Commission.