Before the Dutch established New Amsterdam in 1624, the area (Manhattan) was inhabited by the Lenape people, part of the Algonquian tribes.
They called it Mannahatta, meaning "island of many hills."
It was a lush, forested landscape with rivers, wetlands, and diverse wildlife, used for hunting, fishing, farming maize, and trade among tribes.
European explorers like Henry Hudson visited in 1609, but no permanent settlements existed yet.