Kechemeche facts for kids

The Kechemeche were a group of Native Americans who were part of the larger Lenape (also called Lenni Lenape) people. They lived in what is now southern Cape May County, New Jersey. This area was special because it was right by the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay.

Around the year 1600, European settlers met the Kechemeche. The Europeans usually found them to be friendly. However, by 1735, the Kechemeche people were much fewer in number. Many got sick from new diseases brought by the Europeans. Some joined other tribes, and others became part of the growing European settlements.

Later, the remaining Kechemeche, along with other Lenape (Delaware) tribes, were moved by the U.S. government to Oklahoma. Their descendants still live there today.

Daily Life of the Kechemeche

European settlers described the Kechemeche as strong and healthy people. They hunted animals and grew their own food. Important crops included corn, squash, and beans.

Roles in the Community

In Kechemeche society, women were in charge of growing crops, cooking, and taking care of the home and children. Men were responsible for keeping the community safe and for hunting to provide meat for their families. Since they lived near the Atlantic Ocean and the Delaware Bay, catching fish and clamming were also important ways they got food.

Hunting and Food

The local pine forests had many deer and small animals. Kechemeche hunters would set fires to the bushes to guide deer into special traps. Once caught, the deer were killed for fresh meat or preserved by smoking or salting. Deer also provided other useful things like leather and horns.

Homes and Villages

The Kechemeche lived in villages made up of wigwams. These were dome-shaped homes. Unlike teepees, wigwams were not easily moved. If a village was big, it might have a wooden longhouse and even strong wooden fences called palisades for protection.

Crafts and Trade

In their free time, tribe members enjoyed beading and weaving. They made beautiful items that they could trade with other tribes. They also made wampum from white and purple shell beads. Wampum was used for trading and sometimes for special messages or records.

The Kechemeche often traveled the Delaware River in their bark or dugout canoes. This helped them trade and talk with other tribes. Trails also connected different areas. In the northern part of what is now Cape May County, they gathered tuckahoe, a type of root. They turned this root into a substance like flour.

Stories and Traditions

Visiting other tribes, even far away ones, was very important for the Kechemeche. Story telling was a big part of their entertainment. Because they didn't have written records, news and stories from other tribes, as well as tales about their own ancestors, were always welcome.

Clothing and Appearance

Kechemeche men wore simple headdresses, sometimes with beads and a feather or two. Women wore their hair in braids and had knee-length skirts. Men wore deerskin breechcloths and leggings. They usually didn't cover their chests, which often had tattoos. In cold weather, men would wear deerskin capes. Both men and women wore deerskin moccasins.

Warriors sometimes shaved their heads or wore a "mohawk" haircut. During fights, warriors used bows and arrows, war clubs, and often carried shields.

Special Stones and Trade with Europeans

Since they lived near the Delaware Bay, the Kechemeche collected smooth, clear stones called "Cape May diamonds" from the beaches. These are actually tumbled quartz. They believed these stones had supernatural powers. They traded them with other tribes and with European settlers.

European settlers were eager to trade with the Kechemeche. The Kechemeche offered valuable pelts from animals like beaver, deer, bear, and otter. In return, they received items like beads, bottles, cooking tools, guns, and knives from the Europeans.

Land and Treaties

The Kechemeche, like other Lenape people, believed that land was meant to be used by everyone, not owned by one person. This idea was very different from the European settlers' beliefs, which led to many misunderstandings. The Kechemeche generally needed about one square mile of land to hunt and provide food for a family.

As European settlements like New Sweden, New Netherland, and the English Province of New Jersey grew, there were more and more conflicts over land. Treaties were often needed to try and agree on land use. Despite these agreements, the Kechemeche's way of life changed as the European colonies expanded.

The last Kechemeche leader known to European settlers in their traditional lands was King Nummy, who died between 1700 and 1730. Most Kechemeche eventually moved west to areas that are now in Pennsylvania and Ohio. Later, some of the remaining people were sent to the Indian Territory (which is now Oklahoma).

Lenape Family Groups

The Kechemeche were part of the larger Lenape group, which historians sometimes called the Delaware. The Lenape nation had three main family groups, or clans:

• The Took-seat, also known as the Munsee, which meant Wolf or Round Paw. They lived in North New Jersey and Southern New York.
• The Pokekooungo, also known as the northern Unami, which meant Turtle or Crawling. They lived in Central New Jersey and parts of Pennsylvania.
• The Pullaook, also known as the southern Unami, which meant Turkey or Non-Chewing. They lived in South New Jersey.
• A fourth clan existed for a while but eventually split up and joined the other three.

The Kechemeche were part of the Pullaook (Turkey) clan. This clan reported to a Lenape subchief, called a "sakima," who lived near what is now Trenton.

Language

The Kechemeche spoke the Unami dialect, which is a part of the Delaware languages.