Alënixsitàm! 

Let's Talk Lenape!

Lesson 6

Counting in Lenape

         In Lesson 4 we had the numbers from 1 through 10.  Now here are 11 through 22.

 tèlën                                              ten

 tèlën òk kwëti                               eleven    (lit. “ten and one”)          

 tèlën òk nisha                               twelve    (lit. “ten and two”)

 tèlën òk naxa                                thirteen

 tèlën òk newa                               fourteen

 tèlën òk palenàxk                         fifteen

 tèlën òk kwëtash                           sixteen

 tèlën òk nishash                            seventeen

 tèlën òk xash                                eighteen

 tèlën òk pèshkunk                         nineteen

 nishinxke                                      twenty

 nishinxke òk kwëti                         twenty-one  (lit. “twenty and one”)

 nishinxke òk nisha                         twenty-two

Several Large Birds:

 aihàm                                           golden eagle

 aihàmuk                                       golden eagles

 kukhus                                         owl

 chululhuwe                                   screech owl

 ohuntàm                                       great horned owl

 òpalanie                                       bald eagle

A Few More Lenape Words Borrowed from Dutch:

 apëlìsh       [D. appel]                      apple

 kukumës    [D. komkommer]            cucumber

 pampil       [D. pampier]                   paper

 pushis       [D. poesje]                      cat

Lenape Words borrowed from English:

 chèkìt                                             jacket

 chèlis                                              cherry

 èlëpën                                            elephant

 hàtëmopil                                        automobile

 kàpi                                                coffee

 këlak                                              clock

 kèntis                                             candy

 kèpëch                                           cabbage

 monkis                                           monkey

 mpùl                                              bull

 nkèchkuli                                       I catch cold

 ntalas                                            dollar 

    [note – the older word is  “kwëti palëpay” = “one buck”

 pëlëchis                                          pants  (from the word “britches”)

 pèpël                                              pepper

 pilkësh                                            peach

 tànàpës                                          turnip

 tëmètos                                          tomato

 wëshki                                            whiskey

Compound Words:

 mpùlxàm      [mpùl- + -xàm]            bulldog           [“bull” + “animal”]

 shukëlipën    [shukël- + -ipën]          sweet potato   [“sugar” + “tuber”]

 shukëlàpòn   [shukël- + -àpòn]         cake               [“sugar” + “bread”]

 shukëlàpòn’tët [shukël- + -àpòn- + -tët] cookie [“sugar” + “bread” + little”]

Lenape Words Taken into English:

         Lenape also loaned some words especially place names which have been taken into English.  Many Lenape place names are still found throughout the eastern states where the Lenape lived, and in other states where they settled on their way westward.

 alëwi                   Alloway, NJ or Alluwe, OK      more

 kanshihàkink       Conshohocken, PA                 elegant land

   [kanshi- (elegant) + -haki- (land) + -nk (at; place of)]

 kitahtëne            Kitatinny, NJ or PA                big mountain

   [kit- (great) + -ahtëne (mountain)]

 kwënàskunk        Conaskonk, NJ                      place of tall grass

   [kwën- (tall; long) + -àskw- (grass; reeds) + -nk (place of)]

 lèkaohane           Lackawanna, PA                    sandy creek; sandy river

   [lèkao- (sand) + -hane (creek; river)]

 mahtaks'hanink  Matockshoning, NJ                prickly pear creek

   [mahtaks(ën)- (prickly pear) + -han- (creek) + -nk (place)]

 màxkwchunk       Mauch Chunk, PA                  at the hill of the bears

   [màxkw- (bear) + -chu- (hill) + -nk (place)      [ahchu = hill]

 mënaonkihëla     Monongahela River, PA                  where the banks erode

 mëneyunk          Manayunk, PA                       place to drink

 nishhanèk           Neshanic                              two creeks

   [nish- (two) + -hane- (creek) + -k (that which is)]

 niskëpèk             Nescopeck                            dirty water

   [nish- (dirty) + -pe- (water) + -k (that which is)]

 pahsayèk            Passaic, NJ                           valley

 pahsayunk          Passyunk, PA                        in the valley

 pakim                 Pakim Pond, NJ                     cranberry

 tànkhanèk          Tunkhannock, PA                  small creek; little river

   [tànk- (small) + -hane- (creek) + -k (that which is)]

 tèkhane              Tacony, PA                           cold river

   [tèk- (cold) + - hane (river)

 tëmakwe            Tamaqua, PA                         beaver

 tulpehakink         Tulpehauken Brook, PA         turtle land

   [tulpe- (turtle) + -haki- (land) + -nk (place)]

   [tulpe is an older word for a water turtle and is no longer used as an

    individual word, but is occurs in  pisëlëtulpe (wrinkled-turtle), the

    Lenape name for the soft-shelled turtle.]

 wikëwam                                                       house (or) wigwam