Turtle Island

Lower Merion’s First Inhabitants

The Native Americans who settled this area called themselves Lenape (or, “the People”). The Lenape tribe was made up of three clans: the Minsi (Wolf) clan, who settled Western Pennsylvania in the Allegheny Mountains; the Unalachtigas (Turkey) clan, who settled along the Jersey shore; and the Turtle, or “Unami” clan, who settled the areas around the Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers. Village life revolved around the rivers – their diet was fish-based, their main mode of travel was by canoe, and the water was so fresh and unpolluted that they could drink from the rivers directly.

The Lenape were among the first Native Americans to encounter Europeans when colonies were being established in eastern North America in the early 1600s. The Lenape lived in small, scattered bands of about 25-40 individuals, with each band governed by at least two chiefs and a council. They were united by similar customs and dialects, rather than by political or governmental institutions.

 

 

The Story of Creation

From the depths of the great ocean, Kishlamekong, the Creator, commanded a giant turtle to swim to the surface. The turtle grew and became Turtle Island. Then the Creator placed earth on the back of the turtle and from this earth grew the Tree of Life, from which sprouted the first woman and the first man.

Kishlamekong then created the heavens, the sun, the moon, all animals and plants, and the four directions that govern the seasons. North brings us winter, East brings springtime, South brings summer, and West, the autumn.

Designed and Commissioned by The Friends of the Cynwyd Station Park
Funded by The Merion Foundation/The Merion Community Association
Carved by Marty Long
March 2014