The Walam Olum is a document which is highly regarded by many Lenapé as the recorded history of our people over thousands of years. Those who accept the authenticity of this document believe that it is the written record of an oral tradition which was passed from generation to generation. The story it tells may have been recited during the Big House ceremony each year.
The Walam Olum came to light in the anthropological community during the 1800's in the writings of a French anthropologist named Rafinesque. He claimed to have received a series of bark tablets with Lenapé glyphs on them from a doctor who had received them from a Lenapé "history keeper" as a gift for healing him.
To those who accept the authenticity of the tablets, the story that they tell is one of the migration of our people from a land in the West across this Turtle Island [the North American continent] to our home in Lenapehoking in the East [now parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New York]. As they travelled, groups broke off from the nation and became the other Algonquin nations across Turtle Island. This is why the Lenapé are regarded by many Native American nations as "the Grandfathers". Some historians suggest that this story may also contain reference to the crossing of the Bering Strait by our ancestors.
The study of these documents is an ongoing endeavor, and much discussion still continues on their authenticity. For additional information, visit these related sites:
The origin and
authenticity of the Walam OlumA synopsis of
the Walam OlumA portion of the
Walam OlumThe Lenni
Lenape and the Red Record