About the Ramapough Nation

We are descendants of the Munsee-speaking Lenape peoples who stayed behind after the forced removal of most of our nation. Conflicts, first with the Dutch, English, and US government, made it impossible for most of the Lenape to survive in their homeland.

Territory

The Munsee-speaking Lenape nation’s territory once encompassed most of what is now the state of New Jersey (as far south as the Raritan River), the southern part of what is now called New York, and some eastern parts of Connecticut.

Current Location

The majority of the Ramapough people currently reside in Rockland in Orange County, New York and the counties of Bergen and Passaic in New Jersey.

Our Fight for Food Sovereignty

We are a people who have always lived off the land and respected Mother Earth and all that she gives to us. We have hunted, fished, farmed, and looked after our tribal lands for thousands of years.

The Destruction of Our Lands

Colonization, land theft, and toxic dumping on what is left of our homelands have made it difficult for us to survive in our traditional ways. The dominant society’s way of producing food is unsustainable and is destroying the earth.

Unsustainable Food Production and Practices

Using genetically modified crops and pesticides as well as shipping foods from thousands of miles away that can be grown right here is insanity.

Providing Food to Those in Need

In the past, we have worked with food banks and distributed food to the needy among us.

What Needs To Be Done

It is now time for us to acquire land and grow our own food naturally and sustainably. We want to grow natural, healthy, and locally produced foods in a way that is sustainable and environmentally sound for our tribe and the poor that surrounds us.