The Lenâpé and Their Legends With the complete text and symbols of the Walam olum, a new translation, and an inquiry into its authenticity — Inside the Classic

The Rafinesque Problem: Credibility and Evidence

Brinton devotes considerable space to Rafinesque’s character and methods. He describes Rafinesque as “poor, eccentric, negligent of his person, full of impractical schemes and extravagant theories,” and notes that he was excluded from Philadelphia’s learned societies. The author cites a refusal by Benjamin Silliman to publish Rafinesque’s work as early as 1819, and mentions that the linguist Peter Stephen Duponceau “wholly and deliberately ignored everything” by Rafinesque. These details establish a climate of distrust that Brinton must navigate. He does not dismiss the Walam Olum outright but instead applies a test: can the text be shown to contain genuine Lenape syntax beyond a mere word list? Rafinesque had access to published grammars by Zeisberger and Heckewelder, so stringing together Lenape words would have been easy; composing coherent sentences in the language would not.

Linguistic Authentication: Native Speaker Judgment

Brinton’s key evidence comes from the Rev. Albert Anthony, a “well educated native Delaware, equally conversant with his own tongue and with English.” After studying the text, Anthony expressed “the positive opinion that the text as given was a genuine oral composition of a Delaware Indian.” He noted that in many lines “the etymology and syntax are correct,” while other lines contain “grammatical defects, which consist chiefly in the omission of terminal inflections.” Anthony’s explanation for these defects is that the person who wrote down the chants was “imperfectly acquainted with the native tongue” and did not always catch terminal sounds. This testimony, combined with Brinton’s own analysis, shifts the burden of proof: the text’s internal structure, rather than Rafinesque’s reputation, becomes the primary witness. Brinton also consulted other native Delawares, including the Rev. John Kilbuck, and corresponded with scholars such as Horatio Hale.

Structure and Presentation of the Walam Olum

The volume includes the complete text and symbols of the Walam Olum, presented with a new translation. Brinton describes the document as a “Red Score” (from walam, meaning “painted” or “red”) consisting of pictographic signs accompanied by chants that were meant to be memorized. The text is organized in a series of verses, each associated with a symbol. Brinton’s translation attempts to render the Lenape into English while preserving the rhythmic and formulaic quality of the original. He also provides a facsimile of the symbols, allowing readers to examine the pictographs directly. The editorial apparatus includes notes on variant readings and discussions of difficult passages. Brinton’s approach is methodical: he treats the Walam Olum as a historical document whose authenticity must be tested, not assumed, and he lays out the evidence for readers to evaluate.

Readers approaching this work should attend to the interplay between Brinton’s ethnographic descriptions and his forensic analysis of the Walam Olum. The volume is as much about the process of authentication as it is about the Lenape themselves. Brinton’s willingness to publish the text despite lingering doubts—and to let native speakers’ judgments carry weight—makes this a revealing document in the history of American anthropology. The careful reader will note how Brinton balances his own skepticism with the evidence he has gathered, leaving the ultimate verdict open.

I keep thinking about how Brinton handled the Walam Olum—that mix of hope and doubt, wanting to believe the old story while checking every mark against itself. Revolutionary Reader: Reminiscences and Indian Legends — A Closer Reading carries a similar quiet ache, legends held gently even when proof feels thin. It stayed with me like a half-remembered voice, warm but unresolved.