Originally from the eastern coastline of the United States, the delaware indians today, are not the same tribe they were in the early 17th century. After the invading Dutch and English whites established themselves on the eastern coastline of North America, they commenced contact with the tribes living there, including the delaware people. After a certain amount of time war developed between the whites (both the Dutch and English) and the Delaware, which eventualy led to the whites driving the Delaware Indians from their original homeland, to seek asylum in the territory of the powerful Three Fires Confederation. The same occurred with many of the other Algonquian Indians living on the eastern coastline of what is now the United States.
They include the Algonquian Powhatans, and many of the Algonquian tribes of New England. So to better understand the present day population of the Delaware, we must first realize that there are many tribes which make up the present day Delaware population. Of course, they include the tribes of the Delaware, Mohegan, Mohican, Powhatan and many other tribes of the Algonquians who lived along the eastern coastline of the United States. One by one they sought asylum in the territory of the Three Fires Confederation (the Chippewa's, Ottawa's and the Potawatomi or, the Anishinabek) during the early 18th century, after the Anishinabe defeated the Iroquois League in the long Beaver Wars. It was in the eastern most part of the territory of the Three Fires Confederation where they fled to. That includes central and western Pennsylvania and Ohio.
Their refugee numbers may have been in the 10,000s at its height. However, their population would dwindle over time as a result of disease and war. After the whites conquered the powerful Three Fires Confederation with the end of the War of 1812, they forced the Delaware to relocate west of the Mississippi river, but many fled to the Anishinabe in Canada, and up in northern Wisconsin, to escape from the evil intentions of the Americans. Most, however, did relocate to Kansas and Oklahoma. What many present day Delaware Indians don't realize is many of their ancestors from the early and mid 19th century, fled to Idaho, Montana and Mexico. Today, there are Delaware Indians living in Idaho who are seeking to gain Federal and State recognition. Many Black river and Swan creek Chippewa's from Kansas, fled to Montana during the 19th century (there is a group of Black river and Swan creek Chippewa's seeking to gain Federal and State recognition in Montana), which means Montana probably has a Delaware Indian population because the Delaware shared the same Kansas Reservation with the Black river and Swan creek Chippewa's during the 19th century.
Many of the Anishinabe from Kansas fled to Mexico during the 19th century, where they waged a long war of retaliation against the United States (Texas), which killed and wounded thousands of Americans and resulted in huge loss in livestock. Of course, the Delaware also fled to Mexico to join their Anishinabe kin, as well as the Cherokee and many Seminole and Shawnee as well. Though Mexico does have a Anishinabe, Cherokee, Delaware, Seminole and Shawnee population, they are considered to be the Kickapoo by both Mexico and the United States now. The largest Delaware Reservation is the Osage Anishinabe and Delaware Reservation of Oklahoma. Of course, the present day Indians of the Osage Reservation are from the Kansas Black river and Swan Creek Chippewa's and Delaware. The Americans abolished their Kansas Reservation then gave them a new one in Oklahoma. if you research for the Black river and Swan Creek Chippewa's and Delaware Oklahoma Reservation, you are not going to find it. Thats because the Americans forced the Black river and Swan Creek Chippewa's and Delaware of the Osage Reservation of Oklahoma, to lose their identity. The same happened to the Chippewa and Ottawa of the Prairie Potawatomi Reservation of Kansas.