Description
The Nanticoke people are a Native American Algonquian people, whose traditional homelands are in Chesapeake Bay and Delaware. Today they live in the Northeastern United States and Canada, especially Delaware; in Ontario; and in Oklahoma. The Nanticoke people may have originated in Labrador, Canada, and migrated through the Great Lakes region and the Ohio Valley to the east, along with the Shawnee and Lenape peoples. In 1608, the Nanticoke came into European contact, with the arrival of British captain John Smith. They allied with the British and traded beaver pelts with them. They were located in today's Dorchester, Somerset and Wicomico counties. Today, some Nanticoke people are part of the federally recognized Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Ontario, Canada.
Language
Nanticoke is an Algonquian language formerly spoken in Delaware and Maryland,
Culture
The Nanticoke people lived in domed shaped homes called wigwams made from the framework of branches and saplings. They fashioned clothing from animal skins and furs. Decorations and jewelry were made from shells and quills. After European contact, eastern tribes traded furs for cooler cotton fabrics called “trade cloth” and decorated them with ribbon strips of fabric, making ribbon shirts and dresses. Moccasins, made of deerskin, served as footwear, and they were soft and comfortable. Nanticoke Indian men were hunters and sometimes went to war to protect their families. Nanticoke women were farmers and also did most of the child care and cooking. Both genders took part in storytelling, artwork and music, and traditional medicine.