In celebration of

Dr. Frank O’Brien

Special Emphasis Program Manager
(American Indian/Alaskan Native)
Code 2531
Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Newport, RI
╪
November 30, 2009
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 Hardcopy Handout

Contributions of the
New England Indians to America
• GOVERNMENT
• MILITARY
• CONSERVATION
• CHILD REARING
• INDIAN DEVICES
• FOOD AND RELATED
• MEDICINE AND RELATED
• ANIMAL NAMES, PLACE NAMES AND RELATED
• MISCELLANEOUS

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 INDIAN PLACE NAMES
SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND

Toponymy
Study of “place names”

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 Basic Assumption

• “…[T]he Indian aimed at extreme precision. His words were so constructed as to

be thoroughly self-defining and immediately intelligible to the hearer”.
 J. H. Trumbull, “On the Best Method of Studying the North American Languages,” 1869-
1870, p. 78.

 All Indian languages of the region were oral, recorded by missionaries, and now
are extinct

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Eastern Algonquian Indian Languages—in Green
Ojibwa is most complicated language in the world

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SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND TRIBES

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 Longest Word Known

The following 61-letter word is from Natick-Massachusett. Standard

pronunciation guides are included.

nup-pahk-nuh-tô-pe-pe-nau-wut-chut-chuh-quô-ka-neh-cha-neh-cha-e-nin-nu-
mun-nô-n o k

Translation: “our well-skilled looking-glass makers.”

• Trumbull 1903 Natick Dictionary

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Indian Bible –1663, 1685 (2nd ed.)
The primary source for vocab. & gram.
of regional languages

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 Indian Grammar—1666

• Polysynthetc languagebasis for place name analysis

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 A Key into the Language of America –
1643
Narragansett language—good for speech patterns

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 Translation-Transcription Difficulty

The patient was diagnosed with an advanced case of

PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS.

Say what ! ?

• The average Colonist hearing the Indian languages must have

faced similar obstacles in trying to translate & transcribe
Indian Place Names

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 Examples of Corruption

ORIGINAL CORRUPTED
INDIAN PLACE NAME MODERN SPELLING
Wannemetonomy Tammy, Tommony

Mashenupsuck Snipsic

Oggusse-paugsuck Oxyboxy

Tomheganompskut Higganum

Wequapaugset Boxet

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 Place Name Categories

• The vast majority of regional Indian place names denote land or

country, waterway, fishing-place, hill and mountain, stone and
rock, natural or man-made enclosure, and island.
▄
• To these elemental features are added modifiers of size,
number, quality and locatives (and other grammatical features),
and of course, intertribal dialectical (phonetic & semantic)
variations.

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 Steps in Translation Process

Connecticut → quinni-tuk-ut = on the long tidal river

1. Obtain oldest spelling of name—deed, historical document, etc.

2. Analyze deeds & other documents for possible clues to meaning, and
ascertain the language/dialect
3. Linguistic decomposition—noise discrimination, signal recovery
4. Correlate the translation with known information on possible meaning
of name

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 Aquidneck
Narragansett Language

Aquidneck

aquidn- -eck

ahquedne = -ick = in, on, at

island
Ahquedne-ick =
Aquidnick
On some kind of
island

HIGH SIGNAL

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 Mattaposiett
Massachusett Language

Mattapoisett

mattapo -is- -ett

mattappu = -es- = little -et = at, near

he sits/rests

Mattapu-es-et=
Mattapuset
A little resting
place

MODERATE SIGNAL

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 Swampscott
Massachusett Language

Swampscott

sw- -ampsc- -ott

musqui = red -ompsk- = -ut = at

standing rock

musqui-ompsk-ut =
musquompskut
At the red rock

LOW SIGNAL

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 Canopaug
Massachusett Language

Canopaug

cano- -paug

qunni = paug =
long lake, pond

qunni - paug =
qunnapaug
Long pond

MODERATE SIGNAL

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Examples

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 Reference

Glossary of Indian Place Names

in
Southern New England
   
List of Root Words

• https://www.scribd.com/doc/299351774/Glossary-of-Indian-
Place-Name-Roots
• Let’s go have a look on the WWW

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 Other References

• https://www.scribd.com/user/71256581/Frank-Waabu-O-Brien-D
r-Francis-J-O-Brien-Jr
• This Internet website has many free documents
on Indians of Southern New England—culture, language &
bibliography

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 ? ? ? ? Questions ? ? ? ?
Taûbotne
⊗⊗⊗⊗
Thank you

Wunniísh !
⊗⊗⊗⊗
(Let your journey be good !)

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