Lenapes, later called Delawares, were the female-based society (i.e. organized in terms of matrilines of mothers and daughters) located throughout the drainage of their namesake river and along the Atlantic coast of modern-day New Jersey and adjoining states.

A fixed series of ceremonies brought the tribe together seasonally, but the thanksgiving rite was the culmination of the year. A few weeks after the fall harvest and the accompanying ceremony, another celebration, dedicated to general thanksgiving, was held in the great hall built for that purpose by a host clan. Other clans- people and neighbors who live in the region were hosted there. Only the Lenape had this thanksgiving ceremony, so its celebration served to confirm their shared tribal identity.