When the White People Arrived . . . Told by Willie Longbone (1867 - 1946) to linguist Carl Voegelin in 1939. It is copied from an old phonograph record. This story was transcribed by linguist Ives Goddard.
English:
Long ago when the Whiteman first came over to this side of the ocean
Lenape:
Lòmëwe ènta pat wa Weòpsit wëntahkwi yu kamink
English:
when he saw the Delaware
Lenape:
ènta neyòt Lënapeyo
English:
They didn't know he would be coming.
Lenape:
Mata uwatuwëneyo tëli xu pan.
English:
One man said, "There is someone who is going to be coming;
Lenape:
Kwëti lënu luwe, "Awèn ta kahta pe;
English:
I saw him, he was swimming this direction in the water," [he told this] when he told his vision in the church.
Lenape:
neyo petashëwihëlëk mpink," ènta wënchikaneit.
English:
The war chief said, he said, "I'll kill him!"
Lenape:
Luwe na ila, luwe hùnt, "Nihëla!"
English:
Then he saw the boat coming three years later.
Lenape:
Na wënemën në muxul pèchihëlak nexikahtinke.
English:
When the boat came he said, "Here he is."
Lenape:
Pèchihëlak në muxul, luwe, "Shè yukwe nàni."
English:
When he came then he was our brother, the chief said.
Lenape:
Pèchihëlat, na kimahtësëna ta nàni, na sakima luwe..
English:
The war chief said, "Not to me!"
Lenape:
Ila luwe, "Ni xane ku!"
English:
The White man began to say something
Lenape:
Na Shëwanàkw tòlëmi lan, kèku lan
English:
Then the war chief wanted to kill him.
Lenape:
Na kòtunalan nan ila.
English:
"This one is our brother."
Lenape:
"Kimahtësëna ta wàni."
English:
He just said, "Since that is what I said."
Lenape:
Luwe shëkw, "Eli na në ntëluwèn."
English:
"Oh," the Whiteman said to him, "You are Delaware!" [Thinking the Lenape word "ntëluwèn" sounded like "Delaware."]
Lenape:
"O," tëlan na Shëwanàkw, "Ki èt 'Delaware!'"
English:
That was the beginning of the Lenape being called "Delaware."
Lenape:
Na në shè wënchi alëmi luwènsin wa Lënape "Delaware."
