cd Sof yet preuce'" aes ance Haste fron Bre" a wy," Bikes, ok NATIVE AMERICAN PERSONAL NAMES FROM THE MYSTIC RIVER/BOSTON HARBOR/PLYMOUTH COUNTY AREAS (1) THE FAMILY OF NANAPASHEMET Sources = Alonzo Lewis and James R. Newhall, History of Lynn, Essex County, Massachusetts (Boston, 1865), and Mellen Chamberlain, A Documentary History of Chelsea, including the Boston precincts of Winniseimmet, Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point 1624-1824 (Boston, 1908). We start with NANAPASHEMET of Lynn, chief of the PAWTUCKETS, who was killed in 1619 by a raiding party of Tarrentines from the north. His area of authority seems to have stretched from Portsmouth, NH and the Piscataqua River as far south as the Charles River. He married the so-called “Squaw Sachem”, who placed herself under the protection of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1644, and died in 1667. Her second husband was WEBCOWET. Nanapashemet and the Squaw Sachem had three sons and one daughter. They were: (i) Sagamore John of Mystic, or WONOHAQUAHAM, who was Sachem of the Mystic River area including Charlestown and Winissimet (ie Chelsea). He died during the smallpox epidemic of 1633. My guess, using Trumbull’s Natick Dictionary, was that the name comes from wunne or ‘one, meaning good, beautiful or pleasant, and hogko, the verb to clothe or to be clothed with. Hence the name might translate as “he who is clothed in beauty.” But I also noted that wunne occurs in the name for a child, so that perhaps there is some association with fertility. Gi) Sagamore James of Lynn, or MONTOWAMPATE, Sachem of the Saugus, Salem and Marblehead areas. He also died in the 1633 epidemic. He married in 1629 a young woman called WENUCHUS, who was the daughter of the great pow-wow PASSACONWAY . (iii) Sagamore George of Salem, or WENEPOYKIN. On the death of his brothers in 1633, he became Sachem of Lynn and Chelsea, and then at his mother’s death in 1667 he also acquired authority over the whole of Massachusetts north and east of the Charles River. He engaged in litigation in 1651 against English settlers who had taken over ‘Nick Bunker April 2008> Aquidneck Indian Couneil Translations Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AMe>Rumney Marsh, questioning their right of title. He sided with King Philip during the war ‘of 1676, and was exiled to Barbados, but returned jf died in 1684. My guess was that Wenepoykin means a wing, as in the Natick wunnopuh. Wenepoykin married AHAWAYET who was the daughter of POQUANUM, the Sachem of Nahant. Wenepoykin and Ahawayet had a son, called MANATAHQUA, and three daughters. ‘The three girls were known collectively as the WANAPANAQUIN (which Chamberlain translates as “plumed ones”) and were reputed to be very beautiful. Their names were PETAGUNSK, WATTAQUATINUSK, and PETAGOONAQUAH. (iv) YAWATA, daughter of Nancpashemet. (2) SACHEMS OF BOSTON HARBOR/PLYMOUTH COUNTY/BUZZARDS. BAY AREA CIRCA 1620 Lam referring to the list of Sachems who signed the “peace treaty” of September 13, 1621, as given by Nathaniel Morton in New England's Memoriall of 1669. ‘The names are: OHQUAMEHUD CAWNACOME OBBATINUA (possibly the same as OBBATINEWAT, the Sachem of Shawmut) NATTAWAHUNT CAUNBATANT (or CORBITANT) CHIKKATABAK QUADAQUINA HUTTMOIDEN APANNOW ‘The question also arises of the meaning and significance of the name of MASSASOIT himself. (3) THE NAMES OF THE SACHEMS AND WARRIORS REFERRED TO BY EDWARD WINSLOW IN “GOOD NEWES FROM NEW ENGLAND” (1624) Winslow refers to the following, in his account of the period 1621 to 1623 in the history of the Plymouth Colony. Nick Bunker April 2008 Aquidneck Indian Council Translations Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AM<>CONANACUS (Sachem of the Narragansetts) TOKAMAHAMON WASSAPINEWAT and OBTAKIEST (two brothers: Obtakiest was the Sachem of the Massachusetts) WITUWAMAT PECKSUOT L would also be very interested in your interpretation of the place name WESSAGUSSET or WICHAGUSSET, and indeed your view of the meaning and origin of the word MASSACHUSETTS itself. Nick Bunker Lincoln, England April 2008 Nick Bunker April 2008<> Aquidneck Indian Couneil Translations<> Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AMe>Aquidneck Indian Council Translations ‘The table below contains the Aquidneck Indian Council translations or insights into possible meaning(s). I have added additional spellings (in bold italic font) where relevant. Only the results of the analysis are presented. No derivations are given. References and sources are listed below. ‘As described in the Smithsonian Institution article (see Smith & Smith, 1996), personal names are based on a number of criteria (person’s geographic origin, significant accomplishments, physical characteristics, unique experiences &c—any feature that uniquely identifies a person in accordance with tribal customs). Such names are often difficult to translate and examples are given of misinterpretations. Translated names were sometimes validated by comparing translation with named persons’ paintings on clothing, lodgings, war paraphernalia, oral testimony by others. In New England Colonial times, those individuals recording personal and geographic names—with notable exceptions such as The Rev. Ezra Stiles, Roger Williams, and John Eliot—had neither the motivation nor the training to accurately record the Algonquian language sounds they heard. The extinct languages and dialects of southeastern New England had sounds not in English, often leading to orthographic corruption and elision. We are working with the extant spelling of a name and sometimes useful historical data, Oftentimes multiple spellings exist in the historical records and documents, Additional data does exist, I believe. When Sachems and others made “treaties” with the Europeans, the Amerindians “signed” with their markings. Those markings may provide clues as to the meaning of a person’s name. Ibis worth noting that I have not seen translated most of the names at hand due to the multiplicity of hypotheses that can be generated from so such linguistic noise, or ambiguous clues contained in the corrupted spellings. Thus, we are entering virgin territory. Thave relied on the works listed below—but chiefly my brief dictionary (2001) and unpublished listing of corrupted word fragments seen in regional Amerindian place names (2008). Nick Bunker April 2008<> Aquidneck Indian Council Translations Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AM<>NAME TRANSLATI NANAPASHEMET NANAPASHEMET (Nanepai Spirit", Narr. Language) relates to the Moon Spirit -> "Moon Sachem" NOTE: I do not see “new moon” in name, as R Williams (A Key) records Yd Ockquitteunk = ‘new moon” (Ch 12, p. 80) 2. |PAWTUCKETS PAWTUCKET = At the falls in the tidal stream 3,_| WEBCOWET/ WEBBACOWET Maybe—Of the place of the white pines 4. | WONOHAQUAHAM May relate to someone who is “well bodied” si.e., physically strong or powerful 5._| MONTOWAMPATE ‘Seems to have something to do with “high, top”, “spirit” “white or light"—maybe a powwaw or “medicine man” 6 | WENUCHUS May mean “little beautiful woman™ 7,_| PASSACONWAY *Child of the bear.” 8. _| WENEPOYKIN/WINNEPURKIT WINNEPURKIT (erroneous for WENEPOYKIN | says Lewis) seems to be “Of the beautiful pond”. | Said ‘One source (Lewis) says WENEPOYKIN ‘We-ne-pawwe-kin, pronounced with an “signifies a wind, or a feather”. Either may apply accent and a lingering on the third syllable__| according to corrupted roots 9. | AHAWAYET 10. | POQUANUM Could relate to “clearing, dividing by hand” Ti. | MANATAHQUA May relate to “The lookout place” (a high promontory) 12, | WANAPANAQUIN Roots seem to include: good—spread-out/and or falling —feather 13. | PETAGUNSK Might relate to “round” & “tree” 14. | WATTAQUATINUSK ‘Seems like “Tittle walnut” 15. | PETAGOONAQUAH Roots seem to include: tree—Iong or round 16. | YAWATA May relate to “fire” or “four” and “heart” may be cevident—perhaps She is the fourth (child born) 17. | OHQUAMEHUD. May translate into Aquene-ut = “of the peace (or Nick Bunker April 2008<> Aquidneck Indian Council Translations<> ‘Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AMc>treaty) camp” —a neutral territory where tribal disputes were settled; Gay Head, Massachusetts 18. | CAWNACOME/CONECONAM May relate to his height—tall? 19. | CAUNBATANT (or CORBITANT) Roots seem to include: long—round—(water falls) —refuge (hiding) —mindedness 20. | CHIKKATABAK "House (wetu or wigwam) on fire”; historical event 21, | QUADAQUINA Possibly “Of the long clearing” 22. | HUTTMOIDEN May mean “of the principal fishing place” 23. | APANNOW/EPANOW May relate to “he is far away” from others 24, | MASSASOIT Great Commander or Leader (Grand Sachem of ‘Wampanoag people in 17" century). “Massasoit” is attitle like President, Governor, King & vice a personal name. He was known at the time by the personal name Ousa Mequin (Yellow Feather); Indians changed their names throughout life. 25. | CONANACUS (Sachem of the ‘Of the long place? (Narragansett Sachem or Narragansetts) Chief). See Canonicut = The especially long place 26. | TOKAMAHAMON ‘Seems to relate to a tomahawk. 27. | WASSAPINEWAT and OBTAKIEST (two | Name may relate to (a) river, (b) bird or perhaps brothers: Obtakiest was the Sachem of the _| (c) shining, | Massachusetts) 28. | OBTAKIEST/OBATINNEAWAT Tf we assume TINNEA is untranslatable “ornamentation” (Eliot, Grammar, 1666) the word may relate to “a place for roasting” (oysters, for ex.) 29. | WITUWAMAT “May relate to living in a “white (birch-covered) wetu” 30. | PECKSUOT/PEKSUOT May relate to (a) one haling from a place where something (river, trail) forks; or (b) someone who destroys 31. | WESSAGUSSET or WICHAGUSSET ‘At the edge of the rocks 32, | MASSACHUSETTS MASSACHUSETT Ator near the great hills Nick Bunker April 2008 Aquidneck Indian Council Translations Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AM<>@ REFERENCES & SOURCES ‘Aubin, George ‘A Historical Phonology of Narragansett. Providence, RI: Ph.D. Dissertation, Brown | 1972 University, Cotton, Josiah "Vocabulary of the Massachusetts (Natick) Indian Language.” Cambridge, MA: 1707, 1830 Massachusetts Historical Society Collection, Serial 3, Vol. H. Eliot, John The Indian Grammar Begun; or, an Essay to Bring The Indian Language into Rules 1666 for the Help of Such as Desire to Learn the Same for the Furtherance of the Gospel Among Them. Cambridge, Mass.: Marmaduke Johnson. (Reprinted : A Grammar Of The Massachusetts Indian Language, Ed. And With Notes And Observations By Peter S. Duponceau And An Introduction And Supplementary Observations By John Pickering, Peter S. Duponceau, ed., Boston, Phelps & Farnham, 1822.) Huden, John C. 1962 Tndian Place Names of New England. New York: Heye Foundation. Lewis, Alonzo & James R. Newhall :archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/ snMassachusetts/2007- 1865 11/1195009807 History of Lynn, Massachusetts. Boston. Moondancer (Francis J. OBrien, Jr-}, and Strong Woman Understanding Algonquian Indian Words (New England). rev. ed. 2001. Newport, Rhode Island: Aquidneck Indian Council [Julianne Jennings] 1996 (O'Brien, Frank Waabu | American Indian Place Names In Rhode Island: Past & Present. Newport, Rhode [Moondancer} Island. [http://www.rootsweb.com/-rigenweb/IndianPlaceNames.html] | 2003 ‘Understanding American Indian Place Names In Rhode Island. Newport, Rhode 2008 Island: Aquidneck Indian Council funpub.] ‘Smith, DH and KS | “Personal Names”. In Goddard, Ives (ed.). Handbook of North American Indians, ‘Smith Vol. 17 (Languages). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. 1996 : Speck, Frank G. Territories & Boundaries of the Wampanoag, Massachusett and Nausett Indians. 1928 Museum of the American Indian, Heye Foundation, Notes and Monographs, Misc. ser. 44, New Yor : Heye Foundation. Trumbull, James Indian Names of Places, etc. in and on the Borders of Connecticut with Interpretation Hammond of Some of Them. Hartford, Conn.: Lockwood & Brainerd. (Reprinted, 1974.) 1881 Natick Dictionary. Bureau of American Ethnology Bulletin 25. Washington, D.C. 1903 Nick Bunker April 2008<> Aquidneck Indian Council Translations Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AM<>Williams, Roger 1643 ‘A Key into the Language of America:, or, an Help to the Language of the Natives in that Part of America called New-England. Together, with Briefe Observations of the Customes, Manners and Worships, etc. of the Aforesaid Natives, in Peace and Ware, in Life and Death. On all which are added Spirituall Observations, General and Particular by the Author of chiefe and Special Use (Upon All Occasions) to All the English Inhabiting Those Parts; Yet Pleasant and Profitable to the View of all ‘Men. London: Gregory Dexter. Wood, William 1634 ‘Nomenclator [Vocabulary]. In New Englands Prospect. A Truc, Lively, And Experimentall Description of That Part of America, Commonly Called New England: Discovering the State of That Countrie, Both as it Stands to Our New- ‘Come English Planters; And to the Old Native Inhabitants. Laying Down That Which May Both Enrich the Knowledge of The Mind-Travelling Reader, or Benefit the Future Voyager. London: Tho. Cotes. ane Francis J. O’Brien, Jr., Ph.D. Aquidneck Indian Council 12 Curry Avenue Newport, Rhode Island 02840-1412 USA Created on 4/16/2008 9:34 AM