The Rising Nation River Journey
and
The Treaty of Renewed Friendship
The 2026 Rising Nation River Journey
August 3rd - 10th, & August 14th.
Click here for the Paddle Plan (updated 7-9)
The 2026 Rising Nation River Journey
The Rising Nation River Journey is about collaborating with conscientious community organizations and individuals to work toward common goals of Lenapehonkink Indigenous Awareness and Environmental Stewardship. The Journey is funded largely by the kindness and support of those who donate.
We are currently welcoming donations from organizations in the form of monetary donations or gift cards for food, accommodations, boat rentals, etc. Please use the form to the right or contact us if you are interested in making a donation to the River Journey.
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​We especially want to thank:
The Lower Delaware Wild & Scenic Management Council for supporting the 2026 Rising Nation River Journey with funding from the National Park Service (CFDA: 15.962 - National Wild and Scenic River System).
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The Mountain Watershed Association for supporting the 2026 Rising Nation River Journey with funding from the Direct Support Fund. The Direct Support Fund is made possible by The Heinz Endowments, The 11th Hour Project, Cloud Mountain Foundation, and The Plastic Solutions Fund and is a project of the Mountain Watershed Association. For more information or to apply please visit www.mtwatershed.com.
River Journey Donations
If you would like to donate to the LNPA River Journey fund, you may do so here. You may also donate to the LNPA in general on our Donate page. Wanishi!!
Frequency
One time
Monthly
Yearly
Amount
0/100
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​​​​We also want to thank the following businesses for donating gift cards to help feed our paddlers along the river:
​​​​The Callicoon Pantry, Callicoon NY: $30.00
Giant, 25th St. Easton PA: $25.00
Giant, Bartonsville PA: $50.00
Giant, Wind Gap PA: $50.00
Peck's Market, Callicoon NY: $50.00
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Weis Markets, Brodheadsville PA: $25.00
Weis Markets, Honesdale PA: $25.00
Weis Markets, Tannersville PA: $25.00
Weis Markets, Stroudsburg PA: $25.00
Weis Markets, WM Penn HWY, Easton: $25.00
Weis Markets, Wind Gap PA: $25.00
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And we are especially grateful to these Treaty Signers for providing meals to our paddlers:
John Crook from Tinicum CSA
Norbert Sonnie & Scout Troop 168
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Phoenix House, Dingman's Ferry PA
Willow Wisp Organic Farm, Damascus PA
Click Here for Photo Albums of prior Sojourns
2026 Treaty Signing Events
See details for each event on our events page
August 1st, 12:00 pm
Willow Wisp Organic Farm
August 1st, 2:30 pm
Equinunk Historical Society
August 4th, 3:00 pm
Zane Grey Museum
August 5th, 6:00 pm
Phoenix House
Invitation Only - Contact LNPA for Information
August 6th, 2:00 pm
Dingman's Ferry Area
Invitation Only - Contact LNPA for Information
August 8th, 5:00 pm
Sigal Museum
August 9th, 3:00 pm
Sunbeam Lenape Park
August 12th, Evening Time TBA
Woodmere Art Museum
August 15th, Afternoon Time TBA
Cape May Point Arts and Science Center
HISTORY
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On August 24, 2002 an historic event took place at the Pennsbury Manor, the former estate of William Penn in Morrisville, Bucks County, Pennsylvania, that marked a new beginning of friendship between the Lenape People of Pennsylvania and the people that neighbor the Delaware River. The Treaty of Renewed Friendship was signed by the Lenape and a number of organizations and committed individuals who wish to actively support Lenape culture and to act as good stewards of their sacred Delaware River and homelands.
In order to commemorate and promulgate the treaty, the signing was coupled with an equally historic and monumental three-week canoe journey, which began at the top of the Delaware River in Hancock, N.Y. and culminated in Cape May, NJ. Members of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania welcomed any committed individuals to paddle along with them, and they stopped all along the river to hold signings of the Treaty and offer programs about Lenape culture and presence. Treaty-signers were welcomed to offer presentations on their initiatives in stewarding the environment and promoting awareness of Lenape culture.
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It was agreed that the re-signing of the Treaty, as well as the River Journey, would take place every four years, and did so again in the years of 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022.
As of the 2022 Rising Nation River Journey--which marked the 20 year anniversary of the Journey and Treaty--over 130 organizations--including environmental groups, colleges and universities, mayors, faith-based organizations, historical societies, and others--and over 300 committed individuals have signed the Treaty of Renewed Friendship. These wonderful relationships have resulted in continuous collaborations to help combat the erasure of the Lenape People in their homelands and protect the lands, wildlife, and waterways of the Lenapehokink.
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It is now time for the 2026 Journey! All are welcome to join us on the river, and all committed individuals and organizations are invited to sign the Treaty of Renewed Friendship. ​
About the River Journey and Treaty
MISSION
The LNPA is dedicated to increasing awareness of Lenape history and presence, revitalizing and educating about Lenape culture, and stewarding our indigenous homelands of eastern PA, southern NY, NJ, and northern DE, with special attention to the Lenape Sipu (Delaware River) and watershed. We encourage partnerships among people and organizations to foster cultural, historical, and environmental education and preservation. The RNRJ is particularly dedicated to fostering and preserving these relationships.
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​Stewardship of the Delaware River and Watershed has been central to Lenape culture since time immemorial. For decades, the LNPA has partnered with environmental organizations who support this endeavor. The RNRJ provides education, publicity, networking, and cultural programs that support cultural awareness and environmental stewardship from the confluence of the Delaware River branches in Hancock, NY to Cape May, NJ.
All along the RNRJ, we stop to conduct signings of The Treaty of Renewed Friendship, a non-legally-binding agreement to support the Lenape people and steward the Delaware River. At each Treaty Signing event, we offer cultural programs and invite our local partners to offer programs to educate the public about their environmental initiatives. The partnerships formed through the RNRJ have resulted in many important environmental initiatives over the last two decades, including activism and advocacy to resist dams, warehouses, fracking, “rockfall mitigation projects,” data center dangers, and legislature that would unjustifiably harm the cultural, recreational, and ecological significance of the Delaware River and Watershed.
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​The journey down the Lenape Sipu (Delaware River) is a joint effort to raise awareness, awaken the spirit, and bestow the past, environmentally, culturally and historically, to the future. It is meant to promote the awareness that the Lenape people living in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are carrying on their ancestral traditions, culture, and spiritual beliefs, and are engaged in numerous projects to provide practical ways for all citizens to respect and protect the health, welfare, and future of the next seven generations of our children.
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Finally, we desire to put the fear, pain, and humility of the past behind us, and to walk together into the future in the spirit of the Fourth Crow.
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THE TREATY
The Treaty of Renewed Friendship states that those who sign acknowledge the Lenape as the indigenous caretakers of Eastern PA, Southern NY, NJ, and northern DE, and agree to support the Lenape Tribe in their own unique way. The Treaty is is not a legally binding contract; rather, it is an agreement of heart, mind and spirit. Its words carry the integrity of our ancestors and the hope of our children. Those organizations and individuals who sign this treaty will forever be a part of our mutual history and the stories that we tell our next seven generations. They must make the commitment to "stand up well" as a living testament to the fact that environmental, cultural, and historical awareness is the key to our future. The text of the Treaty remains the same every four years, with only the dates changing:
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Treaty of Renewed Friendship
In the spirit of Chief Tamanend and in the spirit of William Penn,
We, the undersigned, do openly recognize the Lenape Indian Tribe as the original inhabitants of Pennsylvania. We acknowledge the Lenape people as the indigenous stewards of their homelands and also as the spiritual keepers of the Lenape Sipu, or Delaware River.
And we do hereby commit actively to support our Lenape sisters and brothers in whatever way we are able to, for a term of four years, helping to maintain the cultural identity of Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey and Southern New York.
We will support the Lena’pe people in one or more of the following ways: Hosting Cultural / Educational programs, partnering as caretakers of the Lenape homeland and Delaware River, assisting in Lenape Language revival projects, assisting in displays/exhibits of Lena’pe culture,
helping the Lenape people to obtain and/or protect sacred land sites, encouraging updated curriculum in public schools, attending Lenape functions, volunteer service and support, distributing information, financial assistance.
We also recognize that this treaty is good for a term of four years, August 17 th , 2014 until August 17 th 2018, at which time a new treaty may be entered into.
May these partnerships serve to heal the past, give direction for today, and brighten the future as we move forward, learning from the mistakes of some of our forefathers, and may we, together, bring to light the cultural and geographical significance of Pennsylvania, preserving this natural history for all of our children.
May the Creator of all things embrace us as we move ahead.
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Nanalakesh
SELECTED MEDIA COVERAGE
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In Books
Books, January 2012.
Minderhout, David J. and Andrea T. Frantz Invisible Indians: Native Americans in Pennsylvania. Cambria Press,
May 2008.
Minderhout, David J. Native Americans in the Susquehanna River Valley, Past and Present (Stories of the
Susquehanna Valley). Bucknell University Press, February 2015.
Peters, Stephen, and Joyce Hart. Pennsylvania (Celebrate the States). Cavendish Square Publishing, March 2009.
West, Cait. Rift: A Memoir of Breaking Away from Christian Patriarchy. Wm B. Eerdman's Publishing Co., 2024.
Van Noy, Rick. Borne by the River: Canoeing the Delaware River from Headwaters to Home. Cornell University
Press, 2024.
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In Articles & Online
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​​"A Delaware River Journey of Nature and Harmony"New Jersey Conservation Foundation, Aug 2022.
"Haverford College Welcomes Lenape Treaty Signing to Campus"Haverford College, Aug 2022.
"Lenape Fireside Stories and Treaty Signing"National Park Service, Aug 2022.
"Lenape Nation travelers journey hundreds of miles to renew a years-old treaty with Delaware River
communities"The Morning Call, Aug 2022.
"Madden Participates in the Lenape Rising Nation River Journey"PA House of Representatives, Aug 2022.
"Rising Nation: Lenape celebrate treaty signings in the Poconos"The Pocono Record, Aug 2022.
"'A Pure Good': the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania takes to the River Again"The River Reporter, Jul 2022.
"Walking the Lenape Way"Friends of the Wissahickon, Jan 2021.​
"Rising Nation River Sojourn – Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, Easton Celebration, August 12, 2018" Sigal
Museum, Mar 2018.
"2018 Rising Nation River Journey" Global Philadelphia, July 2018.
"Rising Nation River Journey and signing of the Treaty of Renewed Friendship" CNBnews, July 2018.
"A Treaty of Renewed Friendship Unites Past and Future." Global Philadelphia, Sept 2014.
"Lehigh Valley Groups, Residents Sign Treaty to Promote Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania." Lehigh Valley Live,
Aug 2014.
"Lenape Nation holds treaty signing and Cultural Day Aug. 17." The Gazette of Cape May, Aug 2014.
"Lenape Nation Holds Treaty Signing of Renewed Friendship." The News Eagle [Hawley PA], Aug 2014.
"Lenape Nation Treaty Signing and Cultural Day set in Cape May" NJ.com, Aug 2014.
"Lenape Take to River to Renew Community Treaties." Native Times [Tahlequah OK], Aug 2014.
"Lenape to Hold Celebration at Cape Ferry Terminal." The Press of Atlantic City, Aug 2014.
"The Rising Nation River Journey." Middle Smithfield Township [East Stroudsburg PA], Aug 2014.
"Sign the Treaty of Friendship with the Lenape Nation." Indian Country Today, Aug 2014.
"Rising Nation River Journey." The River Reporter [Narrowsburg NY], Jul 2010.
weekend in Cape May, wet but jubilant." Cape May Star & Wave, Sept 2002.
"Down by the River: Lenape descendants journey down the Delaware to Pennsbury Manor for new treaty
signing." The Doylestown Patriot, Aug 2002.
"Lenape River Journey Land in Narrowsburg" National Canoe Safety Patrol, Aug 2002.
"Lenapes Seeking a Base: Tribe Wants Culture Preserved, Pennsylvania Site." The Times, Aug 2002.
"Rising Nation River Journey Stops en route to Treaty Signing: Canoeists seek to raise awareness of modern Lenape society." The Morning Call [Allentown PA], Aug 2002.
"Supporters Canoe for Survival: A peace treaty will be signed between the Lenape and the Delaware
River Greenway Partnership, a consortium of more than 100 government agencies and nonprofit
groups." Associated Press, Aug 2002.
"Lenape Indian Tribe to Sign New Treaty of Brotherhood." The Beacon, 2002.