Manahahtáanung or New Amsterdam? The Indigenous Story Behind New York exhibition at Amsterdam Museum

Exhibition on New Amsterdam from an Indigenous perspective Amsterdam Museum and the Museum of the City of New York collaborate with original inhabitants of New York.

Four hundred years ago the first Dutch colonists arrived in the area known today as New York. Their mission given by the Dutch West India Company was to establish the colony of New Netherlands, with New Amsterdam as its capital, at the southern tip of what is today the island of Manhattan. The Amsterdam Museum has joined with the Museum of the City of New York and representatives of the Lenape —original inhabitants of this area of the United States— in creating an exhibition about this shared history. The exhibition Manahahtáanung or New Amsterdam? The Indigenous Story Behind New York will be on view at the Amsterdam Museum on the Amstel from May 16 through November 10, 2024. Looking from an Indigenous perspective, the exhibition examines the decades-long period of Dutch colonization in the area, as well as its consequences for the Indigenous residents and their struggles. A follow-up exhibition will be presented at the Museum of the City of New York from Fall 2025.

Teaching materials for students in upper primary and lower secondary schools to accompany this exhibition have been developed by the Amsterdam Museum. Through a preparatory lesson, comic book and guided tour, students are made aware that history can be told from multiple perspectives.

For this exhibition, the Amsterdam Museum is partnering with the Museum of the City of New York and representatives of the Lenape, the original inhabitants of the area that is now Manhattan. Cooperating with the Lenape, represented by people from various nations, makes this exhibition unique and requires flexibility from all parties as they engage in new approaches to work together. The leadership of the four Lenape nations—the Nanticoke Lenni-Lenape Tribal Nation, the Ramapough Lenape Indian Nation, the Munsee-Delaware Nation and Eelunaapeewi-Lahkeewiit (Delaware Nation)—selected a number of individuals to formulate the exhibition jointly with the two museums. These representatives are Chief Urie Ridgeway, leader of the Nanticoke Lenape Nation, Cory Ridgeway of the Nanticoke Nation, Brent Stonefish of the Delaware Nation, George Stonefish of the Delaware Nation, Lesley Snake of the Delaware Nation, Sherry Huff of the Delaware Nation, Denise Dunkley of the Nanticoke Lenape Nation, and Steven D. Smith, representative of the Ramapough Nation.

The Lenape rely on an Indigenous system of governance, which involves mutual decision-making and hierarchy. Crucial in this respect is alignment within the community and consultations with ancestors and community leaders.

A follow-up exhibition is slated to be presented by the Museum of the City of New York in Fall 2025, will share the results of the ongoing cooperation and research. Besides the underrepresented history of the Lenape, the presentation in New York will emphasize contemporary initiatives by the Lenape to redefine their culture and homeland. The Museum of the City of New York will organize a kick-off weekend on May 4 and 5, 2024 to celebrate Lenape culture, including talks and cultural activities.

The exhibition Manahahtáanung or New Amsterdam? The Indigenous Story Behind New York will be held at the Amsterdam Museum from May 16 through November 10, 2024. The exhibition is made possible by the Mondriaan Fund, DutchCultureUSA, and the Netherlands Consulate General in New York. The exhibition will be on view in New York in 2025. The Amsterdam Museum is generously supported by the Municipality of Amsterdam, VriendenLoterij, and the ELJA Foundation.