Relations between the Netherlanders and the Lenape are tenuous.

Trade agreements, land ownership, familial and societal structures are misunderstood and misconstrued by both parties.

Language differences mostly likely do not help matters.

These conflicts lead to rising tensions and eventually an incident which starts a series of raids and reprisals, known as Kieft's War.

Dutch merchant Willem Kieft had arrived in New Netherland in 1639 to take up his appointment as Director of New Netherland, with a directive to increase profits from the port at Pavonia.

His solution is to attempt to exact tribute from with claims that the money will buy them protection from rival groups.

It is not uncommon among the native population to do so, but in this case his demands are ignored.

At this time, the settlers in New Amsterdam were in intermittent conflict with their Wappinger and Raritan neighbors.

The death of a Dutch settler, Claes Swits, at the hands of a Weckquaesgeek (Wappinger) on the east side of the Hudson River) particularly angers many of the Dutch when the tribe will not turn over the murderer.

Willem Kieft's response to the murder of Claes Swits is the formation on August 29, 1641, of the Council of Twelve Men on relations with the natives.

Although the council is not permanent, it is the first representational form of democracy in the Dutch colony.

The councilmen are asked three questions:

1. Whether it is not just to punish the barbarous murder of Claes Swits committed by a native and, in case the natives refuse to surrender the murderer at our request, whether it is not justifiable to ruin the entire village to which he belongs?

2. In what manner the same ought be put into effect and at what time?

3. By whom it may be undertaken?

They do not counsel war, as desired by Kieft, instead proposing a friendly request to be sent to the natives to surrender the murderer.

Kieft, unhappy with the reply of the Council of Twelve, disassembles the council on February 8, 1643.

Some of the Wappingers had taken refuge among the Netherlanders (their presumed allies) when fleeing raiding Mahican from the north.

Kieft now orders the Dutch West India Company soldiers to attack these native encampments at Corlears Hook on the East River and ...

...Pavonia.

The initial strike is a massacre: one hundred and twenty-nine Dutch soldiers kill one hundred and twenty natives, including women and children.

Historians differ on whether or not the massacre was Kieft's idea.

Many consider this to be one of the first acts of genocide of natives by European settlers in North America and is sometimes referred to as the Pavonia Massacre.

This attack unites the Algonquian peoples in the surrounding areas, to an extent not seen before.

...on Staten Island, and ...

...Long Island.

Rensselaerswyck, a patroonship outside the territory of the Lenape, is unscathed, and profits from the conflict.

The united tribes have harassed settlers all across New Netherland for the past two years, killing sporadically and suddenly.

The sparse forces are helpless to stop the attacks, but the natives are kept too spread out to mount more effective strikes.

A truce is finally agreed upon in August 1645.

The war has been extremely bloody in proportion to the population at the time: more than sixteen hundred natives have been killed at a time when the European population of New Amsterdam is only two hundred and fifty.