the island MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO when the glaciers melted before anything had a name the island lay sheltered in an estuary where freshwater river met saltwater sea anchored on bedrock far below the surface of the earth Summers were steamy Winters were cold Wind blew in from the ocean nearby and sunshine and rain were abundant On the land in the air and beneath the sparkling waters the island bubbled with life
shorakapok River The Lenape lived on the island for thousands of years They called it Mannahatta which means island of many hills In groups called clans they moved from beach to meadow to forest as the seasons changed living in villages with names like Sapokanikan and Shorakapok The Lenape hunted fished farmed and foraged for food using what they needed and nothing more They feasted on oysters that grew in beds by the millions and carved wampum beads from the pearl-like insides for trading with other Native people The tides flowed in and out for generations and the island thrived
