Chapter 2
The History of LBI All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was. Toni Morrison
From the original
Native American communities, to early settlements of whalers and fishermen, to resort communities, all LBI visitors have lived by the seasons and capriciousness of the sea. This is one thing that all the towns of LBI have in common. A respect for the Bay and sea goes back to olden times on LBI. The history of LBI has always been tied to the ebb and flow of the surrounding waters. People have always been attracted to the sea. With tall cedars, large protective dunes, and fresh water from the Pineland aquifers, it’s no surprise that there is a long history of people coming to the Island.
The Lenape The earliest visitors to Long Beach Island were the Native American Lenape. The Lenni Lenape were one of many nations belonging to the great Algonquins. Living mostly in the forests of western New Jersey, the Lenape were a migrating people. In the spring, they planted gardens in their home villages. In the summer, they traveled to the shore for fish, clams, and oysters. In the fall, they went back to their villages in the woods for the harvest. Lenape trails crossed the state from the Delaware River to the Atlantic Ocean. The Lenape called this land Scheyechbi, which means longland-water. Small groups of Lenape lived here all year, but in the warm season, many thousand more would travel to the coast. They traveled from their inland forest homes toward the rising sun. Fish was an important part of their diet. The coastal Lenape were called Unalachtigo— people who live by the ocean. They had awe and respect for the Ocean, which they called the big water where daylight appears, and considered it spiritual and sacred. The Lenape who lived along the coast, from the Mullica River north
Lenape Legend The Turtle is an important symbol of Lenape spirituality. The Lenape creation myth maintains that Kishelemukong, the Creator, brought a turtle up from the ocean. It grew into an island (North America). The first men and women sprouted from a tree on the turtle’s back. A great serpent sent a flood across the land. The whole earth was submerged, but a few people survived. Honorable Lenape got to safety on the back of a giant turtle. The turtle swam to a spot of dry land. For the Unami clan of the Lenape who lived on LBI, the turtle was especially significant. It was their totem, a symbol of the great original turtle that bore the world on its back. Like the turtle, which carries its home on its back, the Lenape were at home anywhere. 11