MA Chap 4 Stanza 1

1. Long ago the fathers of the Lenape were at the land of spruce pines.
               [Translation by Moravian priests, 1820]
1. Wulamo linapioken manup shinaking.

PARAPHRASE of LENAPE, 2011

       

     Before; the pure people certainly came,

to look where there was an abundance of rivers.

Twenty one (21) rivers flow into James Bay, Canada.   But there are six (6) major rivers.  Three on each side of James Bay.  Most of the rivers flow into James Bay from the south east or south west.  The six marks of the "spruce-pine" may represent the six major rivers depicted as if the stanza maker was trying to draw what a high flying goose would see.


The stanza maker probably knew that a location named "spruce-pine" was similar to saying "anywhere and everywhere" but a location of many rivers with three major rivers coming in from the east and the west was a special place, which was located only at James Bay.


The Europeans tried to claim the land by naming the lakes, rivers, and mountains. Four (4) centuries after the French and then the English claimed the land, nine (9) of the rivers flowing into James Bay still have Lenape names.

Maalan Aarum Stanzas