| Plates | ||
| PAGE | ||
| Conclusion of Lenape Annual Ceremony in Oklahoma. Native Painting by Ernest Spybuck, a Shawnee | Frontispiece | |
| I. | Lenape Man and Woman of Oklahoma in Ceremonial Costume | 22 |
| II. | Costume worn by Impersonator of Mĭsinghâliʹkŭn | 34 |
| III. | Masks of the Minsi (After Peter Jones) | 38 |
| IV. | Stone Head or Mĭsiʹngʷ‛, from Staten Island, N. Y. | 42 |
| V. | Lenape Ceremonial House near Dewey, Oklahoma | 82 |
| VI. | Lenape Annual Ceremony in Progress. Native Painting by Ernest Spybuck, a Shawnee | 86 |
| VII. | Plan of Lenape Ceremonial House and Grounds | 94 |
| VIII. | “Nahneetis, the Guardian of Health.” | 168 |
| IX. | The Peyote Rite among the Lenape. Native Painting by Ernest Spybuck, a Shawnee | 186 |
| Figures | ||
| 1. | Mask of the Oklahoma Lenape | 32 |
| 2. | Rattle of Turtleshell used by Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ | 33 |
| 3. | Charm representing Mĭsinghâliʹkŭn | 37 |
| 4. | Mask from the Canadian Lenape | 39 |
| 5. | Stone Head or Mĭsiʹngʷ‛ | 40 |
| 6. | Central Post of Ceremonial House showing Carved Face | 83 |
| 7. | Side Posts of Ceremonial House showing Carved Faces | 84 |
| 8. | Ceremonial Fire-drill used at the Annual Ceremony | 86 |
| 9. | Rattle of Land-tortoise Shell, used by Celebrants at the Annual Ceremony | 93 |
| 10. | Drum made of Dried Deerskin, used at the Annual Ceremony | 94 |
| 11. | Sacred Drumsticks, used at the Annual Ceremony | 102 |
| 12. | a, Plain Drumstick used at the Annual Ceremony. b, Prayerstick | 102 |
| 13. | Paint-dish of Bark, used at the Annual Ceremony | 105 |
| 14. | Drum of Dried Deerskin. Minsi type | 129 |
| 15. | a, Drumstick, Minsi type. b, Prayerstick | 130 |
| 16. | a, Regalia of Otter-skin used in the Otter Rite. b, Regalia as worn | 178 |
| 17. | Flint and Steel used in the Otter Rite | 180 |
| 18. | Rattle or Land-tortoise Shell used in the Otter Rite | 181 |
| 19. | Peyote “Button” | 185 |
About This Book
The work documents Lenape religious beliefs and ritual practice, surveying the pantheon—supreme being, spirits, sun, moon, earth, thunder, and corn—alongside lesser deities, animal and plant spirits, and local genii; it treats concepts of soul survival, spirit-land, ghosts, mediumship, and visionary experiences that produce guardian spirits. It provides detailed descriptions of annual Unami ceremonies, Minsi Big House rituals, the masker tradition and mask society, and various minor rites such as the Doll, Bear, Otter, Buffalo, Peyote, and Ghost dances, with notes on ceremonial organization, paraphernalia, songs, and regional variations, concluding with a comparative summary of beliefs and rites.