Some information on Abnaki Tribe- People: The Abenaki tribe, together with the Maliseet, Passamaquoddy, Mikmaq, and Penobscot Indians, were members of the old Wabanaki Confederacy, adversaries of the Iroquois. These allies from the eastern seaboard spoke related languages, and Abenaki and Wabanaki have the same Algonquian root, meaning people from the east. Today 2000 Abenakis live on two reserves in Quebec, and another 10,000 Abenaki descendants are scattered throughout New England. Only the Canadian Abenaki tribe is officially recognized, but there are at least three Abenaki bands in the United States: the Sokoki and Mazipskwik Abenakis of Vermont and the Cowasucks of Massachusetts. Names: Alternate spellings of Abenaki include Abnaki , Abénaki, Abenaqui, and Abanaki. There were three important subdivisions of the Abenaki tribe: the Sokoki (or Sokokis), the Cowasuck (Cowass or Coos), and the Missisquoi (or Mazipskwik.) There were also several Algonquian bands of New England who spoke the same language as the Abenakis and were culturally and/or politically associated with them, including the Caniba/Kennebec, Norridgewock, Androscoggin, Wawenock, and Pequawket. The Pennacook were also closely related to the Abenakis, although it is not clear whether they were speakers of an Abenaki tongue or of Wampanoag. History: Modern Abenaki history has been a fugue of attrition and regrouping. Up to 75% of Native Americans in New England died of European diseases in the 1500s and 1600s. Dozens of distinct tribes originally lived in this area, but after each disaster the survivors of neighboring villages merged together, and their identities became blurry even in Indian oral history. Since the Abenaki people retreated into Canada to avoid attacks, the British considered them Canadian Indians, but in fact the Abenakis were original natives of New England--and though their strategy of merging after heavy losses and hiding their existence from more powerful neighbors has hampered the Abenaki tribes quest for federal recognition, it has also ensured their survival as a people.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 19:05:06 +0000
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