Minsi
/ˈmɪn.si/noun
A historical division of the Lenape (Delaware) people, also known as the Munsee.
Did you know?Minsi is closely connected with Munsee, the name of both a Lenape people and their critically endangered Algonquian language.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Unami
mən'si
“A Lenape ethnonym associated with the northern division of the people; its deeper internal meaning is not securely agreed upon.”
17th Century
Dutch/English records
Minsi
“A recorded name for the northern Lenape division encountered by European colonists.”
18th Century
English
Minsi
“A historical ethnonym used in colonial and missionary writing for the northern Delaware people.”
19th Century
English
Munsee
“The increasingly common English form for the people and their language, alongside the older form Minsi.”
Modern English
English
Minsi
“A historical or cultural name referring to the Minsi/Munsee division of the Lenape people.”