Abenaki Confederacy
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was predominantly spoken in Maine, while the Western Abenaki language was spoken in Quebec, Vermont, and New Hampshire. While Abenaki peoples have shared cultural traits, they did not historically have a centralized government. They came together as a post-contact community after their original tribes were decimated by colonization, disease, and warfare.


Names

The word ''Abenaki'' and its syncope, ''Abnaki,'' are both derived from ''Wabanaki'', or ''Wôbanakiak,'' meaning "People of the Dawn Land" in the
Abenaki language Abenaki (''Eastern: Alənαpαtəwéwαkan, Western: Alnôbaôdwawôgan'') is an endangered Algonquian language of Quebec and the northern states of New England. The language has Eastern and Western forms which differ in vocabulary and phonolog ...
. While the two terms are often confused, the Abenaki are one of several tribes in the Wabanaki Confederacy. The name is spelled several ways including Abnaki, Abinaki, and Alnôbak. ''Wôbanakiak'' is derived from ''wôban'' ("dawn" or "east") and ''aki'' ("land") (compare
Proto-Algonquian Proto-Algonquian (commonly abbreviated PA) is the proto-language from which the various Algonquian languages are descended. It is generally estimated to have been spoken around 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, but there is less agreement on where it was ...
''*wa·pan'' and ''*axkyi'') — the aboriginal name of the area broadly corresponding to New England and the Maritimes. It is sometimes used to refer to all the Algonquian-speaking peoples of the area—Western Abenaki, Eastern Abenaki, Wolastoqiyik- Passamaquoddy, and Miꞌkmaq—as a single group. The Abenaki people also call themselves ''Alnôbak'', meaning "Real People" (c.f.,
Lenape language The Delaware languages, also known as the Lenape languages ( del, Lënapei èlixsuwakàn), are Munsee language, Munsee and Unami language, Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian languages, Eastern Algonquian subgroup of ...
: ''
Lenape The Lenape (, , or Lenape , del, Lënapeyok) also called the Leni Lenape, Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. Their historical territory includ ...
k'') and by the autonym ''Alnanbal,'' meaning "men". Historically, ethnologists have classified the Abenaki by geographic groups: ''Western Abenaki'' and ''Eastern Abenaki''. Within these groups are the Abenaki bands:


Western Abenaki

* '' Arsigantegok'' (also ''Arrasaguntacook'', ''Ersegontegog'', ''Assagunticook'', ''Anasaguntacook''), lived along the
St. Francis River The St. Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States. The river drains a mostly rural area and forms part of the Missouri-Arkansas state line along the ...
in Québec. Principal village: St. Francis ( Odanak). The people were referred to as ''St. Francis River Abenakis,'' and this term gradually was applied to all Western Abenaki. * '' Cowasuck'' (also ''Cohass, Cohasiac, Koasek, Koasek, Coos'' – "People of the Pines"), lived in the upper
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
Valley. Principal village: ''Cowass'', near
Newbury, Vermont Newbury could be either of the following places in the U.S. state of Vermont: *Newbury (town), Vermont *Newbury (village), Vermont Newbury is an incorporated village in the town of Newbury in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population ...
. * '' Missiquoi'' (also ''Masipskwoik'', ''Mazipskikskoik'', ''Missique'', ''Misiskuoi'', ''Missisco'', ''Missiassik'' – "People of the Flint"), also known as the Sokoki. They lived in the Missisquoi Valley, from Lake Champlain to the headwaters. Principal village around
Swanton, Vermont Swanton, Vermont may refer to: * Swanton (town), Vermont * Swanton (village), Vermont, located within the above town {{geodis ...
. ** '' Sokoki'' (also ''Sokwaki'', ''Squakheag'', ''Socoquis'', ''Sokoquius'', ''Zooquagese'', ''Soquachjck'', ''Onejagese'' – "People Who Separated"), lived in the Middle and Upper Connecticut River Valley. Principal villages: ''Squakheag'', Northfield, Massachusetts, and Fort Hill. * '' Pennacook'' (also ''Penacook'', ''Penikoke'', ''Openango''), lived in the Merrimack Valley, therefore sometimes called ''Merrimack''. Principal village
Penacook, New Hampshire Penacook, originally called "Fisherville", is a village within the city of Concord in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. It lies along Concord's northern border with Boscawen. The name comes from the Pennacook tribe that lived in th ...
. The Pennacook were once a large confederacy who were politically distinct and competitive with their northern Abenaki neighbors. Smaller tribes: * '' Amoskeay'' * ''
Cocheco Dover is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 32,741 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the largest city in the New Hampshire Seacoast Region (New Hampshire), Seacoast region and the fi ...
'' * '' Nashua'' * '' Ossipee'', lived along the shores of
Ossipee Lake Ossipee Lake is located in Carroll County in eastern New Hampshire, in the communities of Ossipee and Freedom. At , it is the sixth-largest lake located entirely in New Hampshire. The lake is fed by the West Branch (entering from the north), the ...
in east-central New Hampshire. Often classed as ''Eastern Abenaki''. * ''
Pemigewasset The Pemigewasset River , known locally as "The Pemi", is a river in the state of New Hampshire, the United States. It is in length and (with its tributaries) drains approximately . The name "Pemigewasset" comes from the Abenaki word ''bemijijoase ...
'' * '' Piscataqua'' * '' Souhegan'' * ''
Winnipesaukee Lake Winnipesaukee () is the largest lake in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, located in the Lakes Region at the foothills of the White Mountains. It is approximately long (northwest-southeast) and from wide (northeast-southwest), covering & ...
'' (also ''Winnibisauga'', ''Wioninebeseck'', ''Winninebesakik'' – "region of the land around lakes"), lived along the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire.


Wabanaki Nation

* '' Odanak'' (also known as '' Pierreville, MRC Nicolet-Yamaska''), lived southwest of Trois-Rivières,
Centre-du-Québec Centre-du-Québec (, ''Central Quebec'') is a region of Quebec, Canada. The main centres are Drummondville, Victoriaville, and Bécancour. It has a land area of and a 2016 Census population of 242,399 inhabitants. Description The Centre-du- ...
, and included settlements along the
St. Francois River ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...
and
Magog River The Magog River, or Sekosonotek in Abenaki, is a river that drains Lake Memphremagog. It is a small river running through the territories of the cities of Magog and Sherbrooke, in the administrative region of Estrie, in Quebec, in Canada, along a ...
. * ''
Wôlinak Wôlinak is an Abenaki First Nations reserve in the Centre-du-Québec region, Quebec, Canada. An enclave within the city of Bécancour, it was one of the Seven Nations of Canada. History Around 1600, a few Abenaki families and Sokokis famili ...
'' (also '' Becancour'', MRC Becancour), lived around Trois-Rivières, Centre-du-Québec, and included settlements along the
Bécancour River The Bécancour River is a river flowing in the administrative region of Centre-du-Québec, in Quebec, Canada. Geography The Bécancour takes its source from the lake of the same name in the town of Thetford Mines, in the Chaudière-Appalach ...
.


Eastern Abenaki

* '' Androscoggin'' (also ''Alessikantekw'', ''Arosaguntacock'', ''Amariscoggin''), lived in the Androscoggin Valley and along the
St. Francis River The St. Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States. The river drains a mostly rural area and forms part of the Missouri-Arkansas state line along the ...
, therefore often called ''St. Francis River Abenaki''. * '' Kennebec'' (also ''Kinipekw'', ''Kennebeck'', ''Caniba'', later known as '' Norridgewock''), lived in the Kennebec River Valley in northern Maine. Principal village: Norridgewock (Naridgewalk, Neridgewok, Noronjawoke); other villages: Amaseconti (Amesokanti, Anmissoukanti), Kennebec, and Sagadahoc. * '' Penobscot'' (also ''Panawahpskek'', ''Pamnaouamske'', ''Pentagouet''), lived in the
Penobscot Valley The Penobscot (Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic pro ...
. Principal villages: ''Penobscot (Pentagouet),'' now Indian Island, ''Old Town'', Maine; other villages: Agguncia, Asnela, Catawamtek, Kenduskeag,
Mattawamkeag Mattawamkeag is a town in Penobscot County, Maine, United States, located where the Mattawamkeag River joins the Penobscot River. The population was 596 at the 2020 census. The village of Mattawamkeag is in the southwest part of the town. Railr ...
, Meecombe, Negas, Olamon, Passadumkeag, Precaute, Segocket, and Wabigganus. Now a separate
federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
. * '' Pequawket'' (also ''Pigwacket'', ''Pequaki''), lived along the Saco River and in the White Mountains. Principal village ''Pigwacket'' was located on the upper Saco River near present-day Fryeburg, Maine. Occupied an intermediate location, therefore sometimes classed as ''Western Abenaki''. Smaller tribes: * '' Apikwahki'' * '' Amaseconti'', lived between the upper Kennebec and Androscoggin rivers in western Maine. * '' Kwupahag'' (also ''Kwapahag'') * '' Ossipee'', lived along the shores of Ossipee Lake in east-central New Hampshire. Sometimes classed as ''Western Abenaki''. * '' Rocameca'', lived along the upper Androscoggin River, near Canton, Maine. * '' Wawinak'' (also ''Ouanwinak, Sheepscot, Wawenock, Wawnock, Wewenoc''), lived in the coastal areas of southern Maine. Maliseet and Passamaquoddy: * ''
Maliseet The Wəlastəkwewiyik, or Maliseet (, also spelled Malecite), are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their territory ...
'' (also ''Wolastoqiyik'', ''Walastekwyk'', ''Malecite''), lived in the inland of upper Maine and middle New Brunswick along the St. John River. Principal villages: Meductic, Aukpaque. Now a separate
federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
. * '' Passamaquoddy'' (also ''Peskotomuhktati'', ''Pestomuhkati''), lived on the Passamaquoddy Bay coast and inland, between the St. John, St. Croix and Penobscot rivers, in present-day Maine and New Brunswick. Principal village:
Machias Machias may refer to: Places * Machias, Maine, a New England town ** Machias (CDP), Maine, the main village within the town * Machias Bay, in Washington County, Maine * Machias River (Aroostook River tributary) in northern Maine * Machias River ...
. Now a separate
federally recognized tribe This is a list of federally recognized tribes in the contiguous United States of America. There are also federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. , 574 Indian tribes were legally recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) of the United ...
.


Location

The homeland of the Abenaki, which they call ''Ndakinna'' (Our Land), extended across most of what is now northern New England, southern Quebec, and the southern
Canadian Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of Ca ...
. The Eastern Abenaki population was concentrated in portions of New Brunswick and Maine east of New Hampshire's White Mountains. The other major tribe, the Western Abenaki, lived in the
Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...
valley in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. The Missiquoi lived along the eastern shore of Lake Champlain. The Pennacook lived along the Merrimack River in southern New Hampshire. The maritime Abenaki lived around the St. Croix and Wolastoq (Saint John River) valleys near the boundary line between Maine and New Brunswick. English colonial settlement in New England and frequent conflicts led many Abenaki to migrate to Quebec. The Abenaki settled in the Sillery region of Quebec between 1676 and 1680, and subsequently, for about twenty years, lived on the banks of the
Chaudière River The Chaudière River (French for "Cauldron" or "Boiler"; Abenaki: Kik8ntekw) is a river with its source near the Town of Lac-Mégantic, in southeast Quebec, Canada. From its source Lake Mégantic in the Estrie region, it runs northwards to flo ...
near the falls, before settling in Odanak and
Wôlinak Wôlinak is an Abenaki First Nations reserve in the Centre-du-Québec region, Quebec, Canada. An enclave within the city of Bécancour, it was one of the Seven Nations of Canada. History Around 1600, a few Abenaki families and Sokokis famili ...
in the early eighteenth century. In those days, the Abenaki practiced a subsistence economy based on hunting, fishing, trapping, berry picking and on growing corn, beans, squash, potatoes and tobacco. They also produced baskets, made of ash and sweet grass, for picking wild berries, and boiled maple sap to make syrup. Basket weaving remains a traditional activity for members of both communities. During the Anglo-French wars, the Abenaki were allies of France, having been displaced from Ndakinna by immigrating English settlers. An anecdote from the period tells the story of a Maliseet war chief named Nescambuit or Assacumbuit, who killed more than 140 enemies of King Louis XIV of France and received the rank of knight. Not all Abenaki natives fought on the side of the French, however; many remained on their native lands in the northern colonies. Much of the trapping was done by the people and traded to the English colonists for durable goods. These contributions by Native American Abenaki peoples went largely unreported. Two tribal communities formed in Canada, one once known as Saint-Francois-du-lac near Pierreville, Quebec (now called Odanak, Abenaki for "coming home"), and the other near Bécancour (now known as Wôlinak) on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River, directly across the river from Trois-Rivières. These two Abenaki reserves continue to grow and develop. Since the year 2000, the total Abenaki population (on and off reserve) has doubled to 2,101 members in 2011. Approximately 400 Abenaki reside on these two reserves, which cover a total area of less than . The unrecognized majority are off-reserve members, living in various cities and towns across Canada and the United States. There are about 3,200 Abenaki living in Vermont and New Hampshire, without reservations, chiefly around Lake Champlain. The remaining Abenaki people live in multi-racial towns and cities across Canada and the US, mainly in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and northern New England. In December 2012, the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation created a tribal forest in the town of
Barton, Vermont Barton is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,872 at the 2020 census. The town includes two incorporated villages, Barton and Orleans. Approximately a quarter of the town's population lives in each of th ...
. This forest was established with assistance from the Vermont Sierra Club and the Vermont Land Trust. It contains a hunting camp and maple sugaring facilities that are administered cooperatively by the Nulhegan. The forest contains . The Missiquoi Abenaki Tribe owns forest land in the town of Brunswick, Vermont, centered around the Brunswick Springs. These springs are believed to be a sacred Abenaki site.


Language

The Abenaki language is closely related to the Panawahpskek (Penobscot) language. Other neighboring Wabanaki tribes, the Pestomuhkati (Passamaquoddy),
Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet) The Wəlastəkwewiyik, or Maliseet (, also spelled Malecite), are an Algonquian-speaking First Nation of the Wabanaki Confederacy. They are the indigenous people of the Wolastoq ( Saint John River) valley and its tributaries. Their territory ...
, and Miꞌkmaq, and other Eastern Algonquian languages share many linguistic similarities. It has come close to extinction as a spoken language. Tribal members are working to revive the Abenaki language at Odanak (means "in the village"), a First Nations Abenaki reserve near Pierreville, Quebec, and throughout New Hampshire, Vermont, and
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
state. The language is polysynthetic, meaning that a phrase or an entire sentence is expressed by a single word. For example, the word for "white man" ''awanoch'' is a combination of the words ''awani'' meaning "who" and ''uji'' meaning "from". Thus, the word for "white man" literally translates to "Who is this man and where does he come from?"


History

In '' Reflections in Bullough's Pond'', historian
Diana Muir Diana Muir, also known as Diana Muir Appelbaum, is a Newton, Massachusetts, USA, historian best known for her 2000 book ''Reflections in Bullough's Pond'', a history of the impact of human activity on the New England ecosystem. Personal life Appe ...
argues that the Abenakis' neighbors, pre-contact Iroquois, were an imperialist, expansionist culture whose cultivation of the corn/beans/squash agricultural complex enabled them to support a large population. They made war primarily against neighboring
Algonquian peoples The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American native language groups. Historically, the peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the Saint Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. T ...
, including the Abenaki. Muir uses archaeological data to argue that the Iroquois expansion onto Algonquian lands was checked by the Algonquian adoption of agriculture. This enabled them to support their own populations large enough to have sufficient warriors to defend against the threat of Iroquois conquest. In 1614, Thomas Hunt captured 24 Abenaki people and took them to Spain, where they were sold into slavery. During the European colonization of North America, the land occupied by the Abenaki was in the area between the new colonies of England in Massachusetts and the French in Quebec. Since no party agreed to territorial boundaries, there was regular conflict among them. The Abenaki were traditionally allied with the French; during the reign of Louis XIV, Chief Assacumbuit was designated a member of the French nobility for his service. Around 1669, the Abenaki started to emigrate to Quebec due to conflicts with English colonists and epidemics of new infectious diseases. The governor of New France allocated two seigneuries (large self-administered areas similar to feudal fiefs). The first was on the Saint Francis River and is now known as the '' Odanak'' Indian Reservation; the second was founded near Bécancour and is called the '' Wolinak'' Indian Reservation.


Abenaki wars

When the
Wampanoag people The Wampanoag , also rendered Wôpanâak, are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands based in southeastern Massachusetts and historically parts of eastern Rhode Island,Salwen, "Indians of Southern New England and Long Island," p. 17 ...
under King Philip ( Metacomet) fought the English colonists in New England in 1675 in King Philip's War, the Abenaki joined the Wampanoag. For three years they fought along the Maine frontier in the
First Abenaki War The First Abenaki War (also known as the northern theatre of King Philip's War) was fought along the New England/Acadia border primarily in present-day Maine. Richard Waldron and Charles Frost led the forces in the northern region, while Jean-Vinc ...
. The Abenaki pushed back the line of white settlement through devastating raids on scattered farmhouses and small villages. The war was settled by a peace treaty in 1678, with the Wampanoag more than decimated and many Native survivors having been sold into slavery in Bermuda. During Queen Anne's War in 1702, the Abenaki were allied with the French; they raided numerous English colonial settlements in Maine, from
Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...
to Casco, killing about 300 settlers over ten years. They also occasionally raided into Massachusetts, for instance in Groton and Deerfield in 1704. The raids stopped when the war ended. Some captives were adopted into the Mohawk and Abenaki tribes; older captives were generally ransomed, and the colonies carried on a brisk trade. The Third Abenaki War (1722–25), called Father Rale's War, erupted when the French
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
missionary Sébastien Rale (or Rasles, ~1657?-1724) encouraged the Abenaki to halt the spread of Yankee settlements. When the Massachusetts militia tried to seize Rale, the Abenaki raided the settlements at Brunswick, Arrowsick, and Merry-Meeting Bay. The Massachusetts government then declared war and bloody battles were fought at Norridgewock (1724), where Rale was killed, and at a daylong battle at the Indian village near present-day Fryeburg, Maine, on the upper Saco River (1725). Peace conferences at Boston and Casco Bay brought an end to the war. After Rale died the Abenaki moved to a settlement on the St. Francis River. The Abenaki from St. Francois continued to raid British settlements in their former homelands along the New England frontier during Father Le Loutre's War (see Northeast Coast Campaign (1750)) and the French and Indian War.


Canada

The development of tourism projects has allowed the Canadian Abenaki to develop a modern economy, while preserving their culture and traditions. For example, since 1960, the Odanak Historical Society has managed the first and one of the largest aboriginal museums in Quebec, a few miles from the Quebec-Montreal axis. Over 5,000 people visit the Abenaki Museum annually. Several Abenaki companies include: in Wôlinak, General Fiberglass Engineering employs a dozen natives, with annual sales exceeding C$3 million. Odanak is now active in transportation and distribution. Notable Abenaki from this area include the documentary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin ( National Film Board of Canada).


United States


Maine: federally recognized tribes

The
Penobscot Indian Nation The Penobscot ( Abenaki: ''Pαnawάhpskewi'') are an Indigenous people in North America from the Northeastern Woodlands region. They are organized as a federally recognized tribe in Maine and as a First Nations band government in the Atlantic ...
, Passamaquoddy people, and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians have been federally recognized as tribes in the United States.


Vermont: state-recognized tribes

Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk Abenaki Nation, Koasek Abenaki Tribe, Elnu Abenaki Tribe, and the
Missiquoi Abenaki Tribe The Missisquoi Abenaki Tribe is a state-recognized tribe in Vermont, who claim descent from Abenaki people, specifically the Missiquoi people. They are not federally recognized as a Native American tribe. Vermont has no federally recognized tr ...
are all state-recognized tribes in the United States, all in the state of Vermont. Recognition allows applicants to seek certain scholarship funds reserved for American Indians and to for members to market artwork as American Indian or Native American-made under the 1990 Indian Arts and Crafts Act.Hallenbeck, Terri
Abenaki Turn to Vermont Legislature for Recognition ''Burlington Free Press''
January 20, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2011
In 2002, the State of Vermont reported that the Abenaki people had migrated north to Quebec by the end of the 17th century. Facing annihilation, many Abenaki had begun emigrating to Canada, then under French control, around 1669. The Odanak band of the Abenaki First Nation, denounced any groups claiming to be Abenaki in the United States.


New Hampshire and minority recognition

New Hampshire does not recognize any Abenaki tribes. It has no federally recognized tribes or state-recognized tribes; however, it established the New Hampshire Commission on Native American Affairs in 2010. In 2021, a bill was introduced to the New Hampshire legislature to allow New Hampshire communities to rename locations in the Abenaki language. This bill did not pass.


Culture

There are a dozen variations of the name "Abenaki", such as Abenaquiois, Abakivis, Quabenakionek, Wabenakies and others. The Abenaki were described in the ''Jesuit Relations'' as not cannibals, and as docile, ingenious, temperate in the use of liquor, and not profane. Abenaki lifeways were similar to those of Algonquian-speaking peoples of southern New England. They cultivated food crops and built villages on or near fertile river floodplains. They also hunted game, fished, and gathered wild plants and fungi. Unlike the Haudenosaunee, the Abenaki were patrilineal. Each man had different hunting territories inherited through his father. Most of the year, Abenaki lived in dispersed bands of extended families. Bands came together during the spring and summer at seasonal villages near rivers, or somewhere along the seacoast for planting and fishing. During the winter, the Abenaki lived in small groups further inland. These villages occasionally had to be fortified, depending on the alliances and enemies of other tribes or of Europeans near the village. Abenaki villages were quite small with an average number of 100 residents. Most Abenaki crafted dome-shaped, bark-covered wigwams for housing, though a few preferred oval-shaped longhouses. During the winter, the Abenaki lined the inside of their conical wigwams with bear and deer skins for warmth.


Gender, food, division of labor, and other cultural traits

The Abenaki were a farming society that supplemented agriculture with hunting and gathering. Generally the men were the hunters. The women tended the fields and grew the crops. In their fields, they planted the crops in groups of "sisters". The three sisters were grown together: the stalk of corn supported the beans, and squash or pumpkins provided ground cover and reduced weeds. The men would hunt bears, deer, fish, and birds. The Abenaki were a patrilineal society, which was common among New England tribes. In this they differed from the six Iroquois tribes to the west in New York, and from many other North American Native tribes who had matrilineal societies. Groups used the consensus method to make important decisions.


Storytelling

Storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...
is a major part of Abenaki culture. It is used not only as entertainment but also as a teaching method. The Abenaki view stories as having lives of their own and being aware of how they are used. Stories were used as a means of teaching children behavior. Children were not to be mistreated, and so instead of punishing the child, they would be told a story. One of the stories is of Azban the Raccoon. This is a story about a proud raccoon that challenges a waterfall to a shouting contest. When the waterfall does not respond, Azban dives into the waterfall to try to outshout it; he is swept away because of his pride. This story would be used to show a child the pitfalls of pride.


Mythology


Ethnobotany

The Abenaki smash the flowers and leaves of Ranunculus acris and sniff them for headaches. They consume the fruit of Vaccinium myrtilloides as part of their traditional diet. They also use the fruit and the grains of Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides for food. Many other plants are used for various healing and treatment modalities, including for the skin, as a disinfectant, as a cure-all, as a respiratory aid, for colds, coughs, fevers, grippe, gas, blood strengthening, headaches and other pains,
rheumatism Rheumatism or rheumatic disorders are conditions causing chronic, often intermittent pain affecting the joints or connective tissue. Rheumatism does not designate any specific disorder, but covers at least 200 different conditions, including art ...
, demulcent, nasal inflammation, anthelmintic, for the eyes,
abortifacent An abortifacient ("that which will cause a miscarriage" from Latin: ''abortus'' "miscarriage" and '' faciens'' "making") is a substance that induces abortion. This is a nonspecific term which may refer to any number of substances or medications, ...
, for the bones,
antihemorrhagic An antihemorrhagic (antihæmorrhagic) agent is a substance that promotes hemostasis (stops bleeding). It may also be known as a hemostatic (also spelled haemostatic) agent. Antihemorrhagic agents used in medicine have various mechanisms of action: ...
, as a
sedative A sedative or tranquilliser is a substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excitement. They are CNS depressants and interact with brain activity causing its deceleration. Various kinds of sedatives can be distinguished, but t ...
, anaphrodisiac, swellings, urinary aid, gastrointestinal aid, as a
hemostat A hemostat (also called a hemostatic clamp, arterial forceps, or pean after Jules-Émile Péan) is a surgical tool used in many surgical procedures to control bleeding. For this reason, it is common in the initial phases of surgery for the initia ...
, pediatric aid (such as for teething), and other unspecified or general uses. They use Hierochloe odorata (sweetgrass), Apocynum (dogbane), Betula papyrifera (paper birch), Fraxinus americana (white ash), Fraxinus nigra (black ash), Laportea canadensis (Canada nettle), a variety of Salix species, and
Tilia americana ''Tilia americana'' is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to ...
(basswood, or American linden) var. americana for making baskets, canoes, snowshoes, and whistles. They use Hierochloe odorata and willow to make containers, Betula papyrifera to create containers, moose calls and other utilitarian pieces, and the bark of Cornus sericea (red osier dogwood) ssp. sericea for smoking. They also use Acer rubrum, Acornus calamus, an unknown
Amelanchier ''Amelanchier'' ( ), also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum or chuckley pear,A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants/ref> is a g ...
species,
Caltha palustris ''Caltha palustris'', known as marsh-marigold and kingcup, is a small to medium size perennial herbaceous plant of the buttercup family, native to marshes, fens, ditches and wet woodland in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It flower ...
, Cardamine diphylla, Cornus canadensis, an unknown
Crataegus ''Crataegus'' (), commonly called hawthorn, quickthorn, thornapple, Voss, E. G. 1985. ''Michigan Flora: A guide to the identification and occurrence of the native and naturalized seed-plants of the state. Part II: Dicots (Saururaceae–Cornacea ...
species, Fragaria virginiana, Gaultheria procumbens, Osmunda cinnamomea,
Phaseolus vulgaris ''Phaseolus vulgaris'', the common bean, is a herbaceous annual plant grown worldwide for its edible dry seeds or green, unripe pods. Its leaf is also occasionally used as a vegetable and the straw as fodder. Its botanical classification, alo ...
,
Photinia melanocarpa ''Aronia melanocarpa'', called the black chokeberry, is a species of shrubs in the rose family native to eastern North America, ranging from Canada to the central United States, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, south as far as Ark ...
, Prunus virginiana, Rubus idaeus and another unknown Rubus species, Solanum tuberosum,
Spiraea alba ''Spiraea alba'', commonly known as meadowsweet, white meadowsweet, narrowleaf meadowsweet, pale bridewort, or pipestem, is native to the wet soils of the Allegheny Mountains and other portions of eastern North America, but is currently endanger ...
var. latifolia, Vaccinium angustifolium, and
Zea mays Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
as a tea, soup, jelly, sweetener, condiment, snack, or meal. The Abenaki use the gum of Abies balsamea for slight itches and as an antiseptic ointment. They stuff the leaves, needles and wood into pillows as a panacea.


Population and epidemics

Before the Abenaki, except the Pennacook and Miꞌkmaq, had contact with the European world, their population may have numbered as many as 40,000. Around 20,000 would have been Eastern Abenaki, another 10,000 would have been Western Abenaki, and the last 10,000 would have been Maritime Abenaki. Early contact with European fishermen resulted in two major epidemics that affected Abenaki during the 16th century. The first epidemic was an unknown sickness occurring sometime between 1564 and 1570, and the second one was typhus in 1586. Multiple epidemics arrived a decade prior to the English colonization of Massachusetts in 1620, when three separate sicknesses swept across New England and the Canadian Maritimes. Maine was hit very hard during the year of 1617, with a fatality rate of 75%, and the population of the Eastern Abenaki fell to about 5,000. The more isolated Western Abenaki suffered fewer fatalities, losing about half of their original population of 10,000. The new diseases continued to strike in epidemics, starting with smallpox in 1631, 1633, and 1639. Seven years later, an unknown epidemic struck, with
influenza Influenza, commonly known as "the flu", is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These symptoms ...
passing through the following year. Smallpox affected the Abenaki again in 1649, and diphtheria came through 10 years later. Smallpox struck in 1670, and influenza in 1675. Smallpox affected the Native Americans in 1677, 1679, 1687, along with
measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
, 1691, 1729, 1733, 1755, and finally in 1758. The Abenaki population continued to decline, but in 1676, they took in thousands of refugees from many southern New England tribes displaced by settlement and King Philip's War. Because of this, descendants of nearly every southern New England Algonquian tribe can be found among the Abenaki people. A century later, fewer than 1,000 Abenaki remained after the American Revolution. In the 1990 U.S. Census, 1,549 people identified themselves as Abenaki. So did 2,544 people in the 2000 U.S census, with 6,012 people claiming Abenaki heritage. In 1991 Canadian Abenaki numbered 945; by 2006 they numbered 2,164.


Fiction

Lydia Maria Child Lydia Maria Child ( Francis; February 11, 1802October 20, 1880) was an American abolitionist, women's rights activist, Native American rights activist, novelist, journalist, and opponent of American expansionism. Her journals, both fiction and ...
wrote of the Abenaki in her short story, "The Church in the Wilderness" (1828). Several Abenaki characters and much about their 18th-century culture are featured in the Kenneth Roberts novel ''Arundel'' (1930). The film '' Northwest Passage'' (1940) is based on a novel of the same name by Roberts. The Abenaki are featured in
Charles McCarry Charles McCarry (June 14, 1930 – February 26, 2019) was an American writer, primarily of spy fiction, and a former undercover operative for the Central Intelligence Agency. Biography McCarry's family came from The Berkshires area of western ...
's historical novel ''Bride of the Wilderness'' (1988), and James Archibald Houston's novel ''Ghost Fox'' (1977), both of which are set in the eighteenth century; and in Jodi Picoult's ''Second Glance'' (2003) and ''Lone Wolf'' (2012) novels, set in the contemporary world. Books for younger readers both have historical settings: Joseph Bruchac's ''The Arrow Over the Door'' (1998) (grades 4–6) is set in 1777; and Beth Kanell's young adult novel, ''The Darkness Under the Water'' (2008), concerns a young Abenaki-French Canadian girl during the time of the
Vermont Eugenics Project Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the n ...
, 1931–1936. The first sentence in
Norman Mailer Nachem Malech Mailer (January 31, 1923 – November 10, 2007), known by his pen name Norman Kingsley Mailer, was an American novelist, journalist, essayist, playwright, activist, filmmaker and actor. In a career spanning over six decades, Mailer ...
's novel ''
Harlot's Ghost ''Harlot's Ghost'' (1991) is a fictional chronicle of the Central Intelligence Agency by Norman Mailer. The characters are a mixture of real people and fictional figures. At over 1,300 pages, the book is Mailer's longest. Summary At first it a ...
'' makes reference to the Abenaki: "On a late-winter evening in 1983, while driving through fog along the Maine coast, recollections of old campfires began to drift into the March mist, and I thought of the Abnaki Indians of the Algonquin tribe who dwelt near Bangor a thousand years ago."


Non-fiction

Letters and other non-fiction writing can be found in the anthology ''Dawnland Voices''. Selections include letters from leader of the early praying town, Wamesit in Massachusetts Samuel Numphow, Sagamore Kancamagus, and writings on the Abenaki language by former chief of the reserve at Odanak in Quebec, Joseph Laurent as well as many others. Accounts of life with the Abenaki can be found in the captivity narratives written by women taken captive by the Abenaki from the early New England settlements: Mary Rowlandson (1682), Hannah Duston (1702); Elizabeth Hanson (1728);
Susannah Willard Johnson Susannah Willard Johnson (February 20, 1729/30 – November 27, 1810) was an Anglo-American woman who was captured with her family during an Abenaki Indian raid on Charlestown, New Hampshire in August 1754, just after the outbreak of the French an ...
(1754); and
Jemima Howe Jemima is a feminine given name of Hebrew origin (first written Jemimah, Hebrew: יְמִימָה, Yemimah) which may refer to: People * Jemima Blackburn (1823–1909), Scottish painter * Jemima Boone, daughter of Daniel Boone captured by Indians ...
(1792).


Maps

Maps showing the approximate locations of areas occupied by members of the Wabanaki Confederacy (from north to south): File:Les Micmacs (multilingual).svg, File:Wohngebiet Maliseet.png, File:Wohngebiet Oestlicheabenaki.png, File:Wohngebiet Westlicheabenaki.png,


Notable historic Abenaki people

Please list living people under their First Nation or state-recognized tribe. *
Indian Joe Indian Joe, (Captain Joe, Old Joe, Jo Indian, Joe Injun, Abenaki language, Abenaki translation of Joseph: Susapp) was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American scout. Biography Born near Louisbourg, Nova Scotia of Mi'kmaq people, ...
(–1819), an 18th-century Mi'kmaw scout, adopted by the Abenaki * Joseph Laurent (1839–1917), chief, author, language advocate, businessman *
Henry Lorne Masta Henry Lorne Masta (born March 9, 1853) was an Abenaki writer, teacher, and scholar of the Abenaki language. He was also a respected leader in the Abenaki community. Masta published ''Abenaki Legends, Grammar, and Place Names'' in 1932. He began writ ...
(1853–1943), chief, language advocate, and author * Elijah Tahamont (1855–1918),
silent film actor A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...
Dark Cloud


See also

*
Mount Pemigewasset Mount Pemigewasset, or Indian Head, is a mountain in Franconia Notch in the White Mountains in Grafton County, New Hampshire. It lies near the town of Lincoln. The mountain is known for the distinctive cliff along the southern side of its summit ...


Footnotes


Bibliography

* Aubery, Joseph Fr. and Stephen Laurent, 1995. Father Aubery's French Abenaki Dictionary: English translation. S. Laurent (Translator). Chisholm Bros. Publishing
Baker, C. Alice, 1897. ''True Stories of New England Captives Carried to Canada during the Old French and Indian Wars''. Press of E.A. Hall & Company
Greenfield, Massachusetts * Charland, Thomas-M. (O.P.), 1964. ''Les Abenakis D'Odanak: Histoire des Abénakis D'Odanak (1675–1937)''. Les Éditions du Lévrier, Montreal, QC * Coleman, Emma Lewis. ''New England Captives Carried to Canada: Between 1677 and 1760 During the French and Indian Wars'', Heritage Books, 1989 (reprint 1925). * Day, Gordon, 1981. ''The Identity of the Saint Francis Indians'', National Museums of Canada, Ottawa, National Museum Of Man Mercury Series , Canadian Ethnology Service Paper No. 71 . * Reprinted (paperback) Sept. 2006: Vancouver: Global Language Press], ; Dec. 2009 (hardcover): Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series; and April 2010 (paperback): Nabu Press. * Masta, Henry Lorne, 1932. ''Abenaki Legends, Grammar and Place Names.'' Victoriaville, PQ: La Voix Des Bois-Franes. Reprinted 2008: Toronto: Global Language Press,
Maurault, Joseph-Anselme (Abbot), 1866. ''Histoire des Abénakis, depuis 1605 jusqu'à nos jours''. Published at L'Atelier typographique de la "Gazette de Sorel", QC
* Moondancer and Strong Woman, 2007. ''A Cultural History of the Native Peoples of Southern New England: Voices from Past and Present''. Boulder, CO: Bauu Press,


Further reading

Other grammar books and dictionaries include: * Dr. Gordon M. Day's two-volume ''Western Abenaki Dictionary'' (August 1994), Paperback: 616 pages, Publisher: Canadian Museum Of Civilization * Chief Henry Lorne Masta's ''Abenaki Legends, Grammar, and Place Names'' (1932), Odanak, Quebec, reprinted in 2008 by Global Language Press *
Joseph Aubery Joseph Aubery (born at Gisors in Normandy, 10 May 1673; died at Saint-François, Quebec, Canada, 2 July 1755 was a French Jesuit missionary in Canada. Chateaubriand reproduces the life-story of Father Aubery in the character of the missionary in ...
's ''Father Aubery's French-Abenaki Dictionary'' (1700), translated into English-Abenaki by Stephen Laurent, and published in hardcover (525 pp.) by Chisholm Bros. Publishing.


External links


Penobscot Nation
Maine
Conseil des Abénakis d'Odanak
Quebec
Abenaki (Wôbanakiôdwawôgan)
Omniglot
Missisquoi Abenaki Tribal Council