In Philly, we love to celebrate our history, from our role in the American Revolution (sorry, Hamilton fans, but this really was the “room where it happened”) to our rich Black history of entrepreneurs, scholars, and statesmen, our deep civil rights legacy, and our proud participation in Pride.

However, like so many other American cities and communities, we have long been remiss when it comes to celebrating and acknowledging our Indigenous history and present Indigenous communities. This is no coincidence. 

For centuries, it’s been more comfortable to ignore the Indigenous peoples whose lives and histories challenge the deeply held patriotic myths we tell about American beginnings.

The New World, the creation of American identity, relies on the blank slate of empty lands waiting for population, and the widescale slaughter of native peoples and centuries of work to destroy their cultural lives doesn’t really fit with the mythologies of the American Dream. 

Indigenous erasure is one of our most fundamental “original sins” as a nation, and while we didn’t begin this process, we can choose today if we want to remain complicit in it. The good news: it’s easier than ever to engage with and celebrate Indigenous culture, both locally and across the nation.

While the first Indigenous Peoples’ Day was proposed in 1977 at a United Nations Conference, it wasn’t until 2021 that the day became federally recognized by President Biden. Federal recognition is great, but it isn’t as important as communal celebration, and here in Philadelphia, we have seen a rise in organizations celebrating and supporting Indigenous life and culture year-round, as well as on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, which is October 13^th, 2025. 

We Are on Lenape Land

In Philadelphia, we are on Lenape land. According to the American Library Association (ALA), “The story of the Indigenous peoples of Philadelphia begins in the long-ago time with the emergence of Turtle and the earth that formed on its back. From this first earth, the first tree grew, and so too did the first sprouts. These sprouts grew and grew and became First Man and First Woman, and so the People first came to be. (Adapted from the first written emergence story of the Lenape, 1679, as told by Lenape elder Tantaque, courtesy of Curtis Zunigha).” 

Renamed the “Delaware” Indians by English colonizers after Lord de la Ware because of their tribal territories along the banks of the river that would also come to bear his name, the Delaware Tribe of Indians, or Eastern Delaware, is one of three federally recognized tribes of Lenape peoples in the United States, and traditionally spoke Algonquin. Although the Lenape were the first tribe to formally sign a treaty with the newly established United States in 1778, that treaty, like most, went unhonored, and the Lenape were forced to leave their territories and were pushed further and further West. 

Facing the Past, Honoring the Present

According to the Lenape Nation, “Pennsylvania is the only state (commonwealth) in Lenapehoking that has never recognized its Indigenous peoples. The Lenape nations nearby in New Jersey and Delaware, as well as the Lenape nations in Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Canada, have been recognized by their respective federal governments. 

The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania is actively pursuing recognition by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, with the support of our many community friends and partners in Pennsylvania (and beyond). You can sign the petition and learn more here: https://www.lenape-nation.org/

The Lenape are not the only Indigenous peoples of this region, however. As the ALA reminds us, “Prior to the first waves of colonization, the major Pennsylvania Indian tribes were the Lenape, Susquehannock, Shawnee, and Iroquois.” While William Penn, our city and State’s founder, worked to establish treaties like the Shackamaxon agreement, eager to collaborate with Indigenous peoples in keeping with his Quaker values, his son Thomas Penn had no such intentions, and while the 1700 and 1800s did see some Quaker attempts at peace and protection of native peoples, the overwhelming history of Indigenous Philadelphia is one of massacre, deception, disease and land loss. 

Engaging with Indigenous Culture in Philadelphia Today

Today, we can do better. Start by visiting the statue of Tamanend, the Lenape leader who welcomed William Penn in 1684. Sculpted by Raymond Sandoval and installed at Front and Market Streets in 1994, it deliberately faces William Penn atop City Hall and serves as a powerful reminder of dialogue, displacement, and Indigenous resilience.

Just north of the Tamanend statue is Penn Treaty Park, one of Philadelphia’s most symbolically important historic sites. The park marks the spot along the Delaware River where, according to tradition, Lenape leader Tamanend and William Penn met in 1682 to sign a peace treaty beneath a great elm tree. Though the exact details of the agreement were never written down, the treaty became legendary,  celebrated by later generations as a rare example of fairness and mutual respect between Indigenous peoples and European settlers.

The elm itself fell during a storm in 1810, but its symbolism endures. Penn Treaty Park, dedicated in 1893, remains a gathering place for reflection, community events, and remembrance of the Lenape, the original stewards of this land. Today, it also serves as the site of Philadelphia’s annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration, bringing together Indigenous and non-Indigenous Philadelphians to honor the enduring spirit of peace, culture, and resilience that began there centuries ago.

Ways to Learn, Support, and Celebrate Year-Round

• Visit one of the many historic sites in our region, which chronicle the lives and worlds of the Lenape and other native peoples, including the Museum of the American Revolution, and consider the parts of our historic narratives we’ve never learned. 
• Explore educational resources through organizations like the Native American Alliance House, the ALA, and Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly. 
• Acknowledge how many marks the Indigenous peoples of this area have left and continue to leave in the world around us, from the foods we eat like corn, venison, and turkey, to the names of our streets and areas, so many of which come directly from native languages (For example: Passyunk, Conshohocken, Manayunk, Wissahickon, and so many more.) 
• Celebrate Indigenous people on October 13^th by taking part in and supporting events for the holiday, and continuing that commitment year-round. This year, there will be events from 10:30 to 5 pm in Shackamaxon, Lenape, for “place of the council”, also known as Penn Treaty Park, hosted by Indigenous Peoples’ Day Philly. Additionally, the Museum of the American Revolution will be hosting events during the weekend of October 11^th and October 12^th, and on the 13^th, and Bartram’s Garden will be having an event honoring the holiday on the 12^th of October with a free event.

As much as Indigenous peoples are a vital part of our history, Indigenous erasure has been a cornerstone of our nation’s practices. But it doesn’t have to be our present or our future. Celebrate Indigenous peoples on October 13th and every day to see how much richer and fuller your sense of Philadelphia can be.