Monday, October 13, 2025 is designated as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This day is dedicated to honoring the rich histories, cultures, and contributions of Native Americans across the United States.
The celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day began in California in 1992 as an effort to recognize and rectify the historical injustices faced by Indigenous communities. President Joe Biden made history in 2021 by becoming the first sitting president to formally commemorate this day—reinforcing the importance of acknowledging and celebrating the diverse heritage and resilience of Native American peoples. This day serves not only as a reminder of the past but also as an opportunity to promote awareness, healing, and respect for Indigenous cultures.
The Lenape were the Indigenous Peoples who originally inhabited the land that became Philadelphia. Many of our streets, towns, and stations are named using words from the Unami language spoken by the Lenape.
Place names such as Aramingo, Cohocksink, Kingsessing, Manayunk, Moyamensing, Passyunk, Pennypack, Shackamaxon, Tacony, Weccacoe, Wingohocking, Wissinoming, and Wissahickon reflect this heritage and can be found on the map of present-day Philadelphia.
SEPTA stations have many connections to Native American history:
Allegheny: Lenape/Unami welhìk (“good”) + hane (“river (in compounds)”)
Conshohocken: Unami language from either Kanshi’hak’ing meaning “Elegant-ground- place” or more likely Chottschinschu’hak’ing which means “Big-trough-ground-place” or “Large-bowl-ground-place” referring to the big bend in the Tulpe’hanna (Turtle River or modern Schuylkill River)
Manayunk: Lenape referred to the Schuylkill River as “Manaiung” their word for “river” which literally translates as “place to drink”; the word was later altered and adopted as the town’s name
Miquon: Comes from the language of the Lenni-Lenape people who were the original inhabitants
Neshaminy Falls: Originates with the Lenni Lenape and is thought to mean “place where we drink twice”
Secane: Named after a 17th-century Algonquin leader
Tacony: A Lenape word for “wilderness”
Tulpehocken: Comes from a Lenape word Tulpewikaki, meaning “land of turtles”
Wawa: Was home to a tribe of Lenni Lenape Indigenous People who noticed it was a favorite stop for migrating geese which they called “wawa”
Wissahickon: Lenni Lenape word wisameckham for “catfish creek” a reference to the fish that were once plentiful in the Wissahickon Creek
Erie: Name of an American Indian people who lived there before the arrival of Europeans
Susquehanna: The Lenape word siskëwahane meaning “Muddy River”; alternatively it comes from the Len’api term Sisa’we’hak’hanna which means “Oyster River”
Wyoming: Derived from the Munsee word xwé:wamənk meaning “at the big river flat”
Tioga: Means “at the forks” to the Iroquois people
Aronimink: “By the beaver dam” from the chief of the Lenape Indian tribe (spelled Arronomink)
Let us know if we missed any!