south-western shore of the Hudson, while the
Wolf or Minsi, being much the most warlike of the three, served as a sort of shield to their more peaceful brethren, and watched the movements of the Mengwe or Iroquois. Their to the head territory extended from the Katskill mountains waters of the Delaware and Susquehanna rivers, and was bounded on the east by the Hudson their council-fire was The Turkey tribe joined the Mlnsi on lighted at Minisink. ;
On the west bank Stony point. of the river, therefore, there were but two totemic Lenape tribes. Above the Minsi came the Mabican totem of the Wolf, and on
the south somewhere about
the east bank the Bear of that nation.
Below the Mohicans
from Roeloff Jansen's kill to the sea, the Wolf again appeared as the totem of the Wappingers ; while the Montauks bore the
emblem of the Turtle. 4 The prevailing totem of all the Hudson river cantons was the Wolf, borne alike by Minsis, Wappingers and Mahicans^ leading the French to call them all Loups or wolves, and affording Mr. Schoolcraft the basis for his
" The Turtle
tribe,
among the Lenapes, claims^ a superiority
and ascendancy
over the others because of their relation to the great tortoise, a fabled monster, the Atlas of their mythology, who bears, according to their traditions, this great island, as they term the world, on his back} and also superior because he is fates and Moultons Hisamphibious." Politically the Turtle and Turkey tory. tribes were associated in the same government, while the Minsis had a distinct