One of the most important contributions of the Lenape and other native peoples are the trails they established centuries ago. When the Europeans arrived they relied on these same trails for trade and travel. Over time, Europeans expanded and paved these roads. The National Museum of the American Indian, housed in the former Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House, fittingly sits at the foot of Broadway in Manhattan. The name Manhattan actually comes from a Lenape word "Manhatta" meaning "hilly place." Broadway was a major trail used by Native Americans. It stretched from the tip of Manhattan all the way up to present-day Boston. Eventually, European settlers made the trail larger and called it the Broad Way.

The Lenape had important local trails that served key functions. One of these trails, which emerged from a densely wooded area and led through a Canarsee settlement was known as Mechawanienk which meant “ancient pathway.” It ultimately defined one of the main thoroughfares, or roads, in the town of Flatbush and became known as The King’s Highway. In the early 1600s, the trail was part of a network of paths that connected dozens of seasonal settlements throughout the area, giving the local native population access to shores for fishing bass and sturgeon, clamming, and harvesting oysters; woods for hunting deer and other games and fields for planting maize, beans, squash, melons, cucumbers, and tobacco.

Another thoroughfare based on a Lenape trail is Pearl Street in Lower Manhattan. Until the 19th century, New York's Harbor was estimated to hold about half of the world's oyster population. New York is the world capital of many things, but "Capital of Oysters" was one of its first titles! Through over-fishing and pollution, New York's shellfish population dropped precipitously, or dramatically. When the Lenape lived in Manhattan prior to European settlement, oysters were bountiful. They would shuck the oysters and dispose of the shells along this modern-day street. The Dutch were so impressed by the number of oyster shells that dotted the sand, they dubbed the trail Pearl Street.

Today Bowling Green is known as New York's oldest park space, but prior to the arrival of the Dutch the site served as the seat of power for Lenape chiefs. In this place, the Lenape gathered to hear speeches, participate in councils and to trade and socialize with others. According to legend, Bowling Green was the site of the infamous "trade" where the Dutch governor, Peter Minuit, bought the entire island of Manhattan from the Native Americans.

The Lenape established settlements throughout modern-day New York, including the present-day neighborhood of Gravesend in Brooklyn. These villages and the clans that lived there were organized maternally, or through the mother’s ancestors, thus, children belonged to their mothers’ clans. Older women in the extended family, such as grandmothers or older aunts, were matriarchs who directed family activities. Husbands moved into their wives’ households. Political positions were inherited through the maternal side. The sachems, meaning leaders in the Lenape language, were usually men chosen from the sons of the old sachem’s sister. In the absence of a suitable male heir, women assumed leadership positions in their clans. This marked a departure from the patriarchal structure which the European settlers were accustomed to.

Other Lenape clans lived in or around Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Families lived together in the grass or bark-covered longhouses and wood dwellings that could be constructed and taken down easily. Daily life revolved around the seasons and access to food sources. In the spring and summer, clans moved close to fishing sites; in the fall and winter, they returned inland to be closer to firewood and game for hunting. Regardless of the campsite, labor was defined by gender. Women were responsible for farming, gathering wild plants, cooking, and childrearing; men hunted and fished.

Present-day Marine Park is Brooklyn's largest park space and is mostly comprised of protected marshland. A large group of Canarsee Indians once called this place home. Archaeological digs have uncovered Native American artifacts and even a burial ground. Artifacts and archaeological remains, like the ones found around Marine Park, help us better understand how the Lenape lived. The Lenape’s religious practices were guided by a complex belief in spirits related to the natural world. The Lenape beloved in a single, all-powerful “Creator” who created the spirit helpers who lived in and controlled the forces of nature. The sun and the moon were regarded as “Elder Brothers” and endowed, or gifted, with the power to provide light. While certainly different from the Christian understanding of nature that Europeans brought with them, Native Americans shared some common beliefs and imagery with the newcomers, like the importance of light and the idea of a divine being creating the world. If you pay attention, you can discover the legacy of the Lenape throughout all of New York. Today, you can visit the Lenape Center in Manhattan, which continues to preserve the legacy of Lenapehoking, the Lenape name for Lenape land.