Manahahtáanung or New Amsterdam

Indigenous perspective

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.

Manahahtáanung

The impetus for this collaboration and the exhibition is that 2024 marks 400 years since the Dutch arrived in America to establish a colony at the mouth of the Hudson River. After the colony was conquered by the English in 1664, the following centuries saw the settlement grow into the city of New York. The Dutch invasion and decades-long colonization of the area in the 17th century had tremendous consequences for the Indigenous people who lived in the region, and on the island which they called Manahahtáanung. Not only did they lose their land, they were victims of disease, war, and the disappearance of their own livelihoods. The colonists deliberately made it impossible for Indigenous peoples to maintain their way of life and culture. Despite this, Indigenous communities have consistently resisted these changes, even up until the present moment.

Lenape

’Colonialism in Suriname, the Caribbean, and Asia is getting an increasing amount of attention in the Netherlands and at the Amsterdam Museum. Yet, due to colonial activities in North America, Amsterdam has also left indelible traces. I was surprised how little most Amsterdammers and New Yorkers know about New Amsterdam and the Lenape. Even while the name Amsterdam was used by the Dutch to lay claim to the area. We are honored to work with representatives of the Lenape and the Museum of the City of New York to uncover this underexposed piece of Dutch colonial history.’ - Imara Limon, curator at the Amsterdam Museum.