Fourth graders learned about the Lenape people, a civilization who lived in New Jersey a VERY long time ago, during a recent assembly at Patrick M. Villano School.  The assembly took place Monday, November 6. The instructor taught them everything from what animals lived here at the time to how the people got their food. When asked if she would prefer to hunt or grocery shop, fourth grader Avery Dauble had a very particular opinion.

“I would have rather gone hunting instead of going to the supermarket,” explained Dauble.  “It is so expensive for a one pack of toilet paper.  One pack is about seven dollars, but back then you didn’t have to pay anything in exchange for as much food as you wanted.”

The Lenape civilization lived very differently than modern day humans. They lived in shelters called Wigwams, which consisted of 15 people or less, or they lived in longhouses, which had 15 people or more to live in. Differences were seen in many aspects of their lives.

“I think that the Lenape heritage was very different from the heritage now because they didn’t have fabric and they needed to create their own shelter from scratch,” fourth grader Maeve Graulich says. “They also didn’t have the advanced technology for medicine like they do today, so it must have been very common to die of sickness.”

All of the fourth graders seemed to enjoy the assembly. It taught a different perspective of everyday life and it showed how much easier life is now that civilization has evolved.

“I feel a little disappointed at the fact that the fifth graders didn’t get to attend the Lenape assembly, because it would be a great chance to learn about our fellow New Jerseyans,” mentioned fifth grader Nicolas Benvenuto.