Four centuries ago, Manhattan was sold by its indigenous Lenape inhabitants to Dutch colonialists for a mere twenty-four dollars, as documented in the renowned Schagen Letter on display at the New York Historical Society. While today it's challenging to find a meal in Manhattan for under twenty-four dollars, this transaction laid the groundwork for the modern city of New York.

Yet, for the Lenape people, this was not a genuine sale but rather an imposition of colonial dominance, stripping them of their ancestral rights. Adjacent to the Schagen Letter, visitors can find a contemporary letter from Lenape leaders (slide four), discrediting the Schagen sale. They assert that this transaction does not define them and that their intrinsic bond with “Manahahtáanung” remains unbreakable.

Take a moment to honor the ancestors and history of New York by viewing the Schagen letter at the New York Historical Society until the exhibit closes on July 14th!

Click on the image to explore the interactive map

New York City’s linguistic diversity is astonishing – the relatively small area is home to speakers of over 700 different languages and dialects. The Languages of New York City map documents over 1200 distinct “neighborhoods, community institutions, restaurants, and other locations where there is, or was, at least one speaker” of a language. The original language of the area was Lenape, spoken by the indigenous people who occupied what is now New York City. That language is still spoken by the descendants of those original New Yorkers, and there are ongoing initiatives to teach the Lenape language to more people. While Lenape is the language that has been spoken in this area the longest, there are hundreds of other languages brought to the city by immigrants from every corner of the globe. Within walking distance of Daryanani Law Group’s office, the Language Map pinpoints more than a dozen locations where someone speaks languages from Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and the Americas. This is a map is a fascinating portrait of New York’s diverse immigrant communities, “our greatest and deepest asset.”