The Lenape, also known as the Delaware Indians, were among the first indigenous peoples to engage in trade with the Dutch settlers. How the Transfer of New Amsterdam occurred directly influences how the arguments of the Elizabethtown Associates were used in the New Jersey Colony. Click here for a 31-minute presentation posted on January 1, 2025 by phiszabo2 History and Culture.

(Above, left) In 1664, King Charles II granted a large tract of Lenape land to his brother, James, the Duke of York. Warinanco and Mattano, prominent chiefs of the Lenni Lenape (Delaware) tribe during the 17th century, played significant roles in the land transactions with European settlers. They, along with another chief named Seuakheons, signed the deed for the Elizabethtown Tract in 1664.

This tract included about 500,000 acres of land between the Passaic and Raritan Rivers and the Arthur Kill. This land was sold to a group of English settlers from Long Island, marking an important transaction in the early history of New Jersey.

The initial sale of land by the Lenape to the Dutch occurred in the early 17th century. The Dutch West India Company established the colony of New Netherland, which included parts of present-day New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.