Abenaki Ethnic Relations

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Ethnic relations, In his tentative arrangement Brinton ( Len. Leg., 11, 1885) brings into one group the Nascapee, Micmac, Malecite, Etchimin, and Abnaki, but this is more of a geographic than a linguistic grouping. Vetromile (Abnaki, 20, 1866), following other authors, says that we should "embrace under this term all the tribes of the Algic [Algonquian] family, who occupy or have occupied the east or northeast shore of North America; thus, all the Indians of the seashores, from Virginia to Nova Scotia, were Abnaki." Maurault gives the following as the principal tribes of the Abnaki confederacy:

Kanibesinnoak (Norridgewock in part; see Kennebec and Norridgewock)
Patsuiket (Sokoki in part)
Nurhantsuak ( Norridgewock)
Etemankiak (Etchimin)
Sokouakiak (Sokoki )
Pentagoet ( Penobscot)
Ouarastegouiak (Malecite)

The name Abnaki being applied in the restricted sense to the Indians of Kennebec River. All these tribes spoke substantially the same language, the chief dialectal differences being between the Etchimin and the other tribes of the group. The Etchimin, who formed a subgroup of the Abnaki confederacy, included the Passamaquoddy and Malecite.

Linguistically the Abnaki do not appear to he more closely related to the Micmac than to the Delaware group, and Dr William Jones finds the Abnaki closely related to the central Algonquian languages. In customs and beliefs they are more nearly related to the Micmac, and their ethnic relations appear to he with the tribes north of the St Lawrence.

• Additional Abenaki Indian Resources

  • Abenaki Customs

  • Abenaki History

  • Abenaki Name

  • Abenaki Towns

  • Abenaki Tribal Divisions

  • Abenaki Chiefs

Source: Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico, Frederick Webb Hodge, 1906

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