Category Archives: Abenaki

Books related to the Abenaki language

Abenakis and their history (Chapter 7) by Eugene Vetromile

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CHAPTER VII.

 

ACADIA ANALYSIS AND MEANING OF THE WORD ITS LIMITS AND ABORIGINES OF ACADIA REMARKS ON AGGUNCIA, THE ORIGINAL NAME OF THE PENOBSCOT RIVER.

 

BEFORE entering into the description of the aborigines of that part of North America formerly known under the name of Acadia, it seems proper to lay down a few remarks in regard to its name and boundaries. The word Acadia, written sometimes La Cadie and Acadie, is Indian, The origin of this word, and its meaning, has always been a subject of investigation among the antiquarians, who generally admit it to be an Indian word, though they do not fix its meaning. Some of them have ventured interpretations, which, however, they abandoned after further consideration. I was at one time led to resolve Acadie into the two Abnaki words Aki-adie (land of dogs). Yet, after more recent investigation, I consider it more natural to trace it to the Micmac word academ (we dwell), or tedlacadem(where we dwell), that is, our village. We have yet in Nova Scotia a place called Tracadie, which must be the Indian word tedlacadem, or t’dlacadem, where we dwell, and perhaps it is the original word of Acadie. The principal river in Nova Scotia is called Shuben-acadie,river where we dwell, or village-river. Continue reading →

On the etymology of “Acadia”

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Browsing the website http://archive.org to me is a bit like the Digital Age equivalent of getting lost in a library full of dusty old obscure books. If you don’t share my interests, well, my opening sentence above may have already persuaded you to click off to another more exciting destination. If that’s the case, well, Bon Voyage!

But even I have to admit that a book published around 150 years ago on the geology of New Brunswick wouldn’t be very high on my list of “must-reads”. When you consider that geologists of yesteryear often compiled vocabulary lists in local languages related to the natural environment, though, there is an area of common ground where their interests and mine overlap.

A Preliminary Report on the Geology of New Brunswick by Henry Youle Hind is over 300 pages. Hidden in all those pages are at least two valuable gems. The first is a brief discussion on the etymology of “Acadia” – a topic that has been revisited a number of times by writers such as Eugene Vetromile (see his The Abenakis and their History, for example) and Albert Gatschet in his article “All around the Bay of Passamaquoddy”. Continue reading →

Masta’s bilingual Abenaki legend #4

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IV WAWAN8GIT TA M8LADAKW
Wana:–Nid8ba M8ladakw kia nat8wi milgakanian alakssa ato koli oji wawiton Koatekwok.
Mol:—Koatekwok ennigani 8nka Awanochak ali witamodit Coaticook. Niato kata n’oli wawaldamen: Oji chig8wteguagani Vermont ni talli s8gdahla kzibonnokw, Ailsig8tekwok, Koatekw’ni kinni p8ntekwoo pab8miwi mail oji odanak n8bi aliwiswik ni waji m8ja p8ntekwwik.
Wana:—Kawinawa ni waji liwit8zik Koatekw?
Mol:—Wz8migaato pita msalozhanik nitali koaak taagata achi askwa wdain8. Continue reading →

Masta’s bilingual Abenaki legend #3

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There are a total of 14 short bilingual Abenaki and English stories in Henry Lorne Masta’s thin volume published around 80 years ago. This is the third story. If you want to read the original book, you can buy a reprint from Amazon, or download a free .pdf file.

Mouse over the brown links to get a pop-up with the English translation (make sure javascript is not turned off in your browser)

III PIAL TA AZ8
Pial:—Nid8ba Az8 pasguen ta 8toji wlidbin8gwzian t8ni nawa kd8ll8wzin?
Az8:  Sawigatta ni 8toji wlalmegwwa.
Pial:——Kam8ji nowat kdakwi namihollen; t8m8 kwodkanni?
Az8:—8h88 niga anegi waji pay8a Maine.
Pial:—Niga nid8ba kia nawa atoba kizi hlin idamoik Kennebec
River?
Az8:——Chowi, idamoo gani kinnebak sibo.
Pial:—Nia kanwa ndelsedam ali kmahom-nogak W8banakiak liwilhl8mgeza achi Kennebessinnoak ali waijiwi sibowikok ta nebessikok pmi aidiza ni agua almidbihl8k li taakwi wilh8n8zsa agm8w8 la wzibomw8 Kinnebak.
Az8:—-Nid8ba 8nda kmaw8ztawi ta 8nda achi nia kmawoztolo, Idozijga niziwitta kol8mmabna. Continue reading →

Masta’s bilingual Abenaki legend #2

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As well as sections on Abenaki grammar and a list of place names that were originally from the Abenaki language, there are a total of 14 short bilingual Abenaki and English stories in Henry Lorne Masta’s thin volume published around 80 years ago. This is the second story. If you want to read the original book, you can buy a reprint from Amazon, or download a free .pdf file.

II NISWACK WSKIAINSBAK NIKES TA NOJMIGAN8T CHAJLG8WI WLSMAHODWAK
Continue reading →

Making Henry Masta’s Abenaki Indian Legends interactive

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I think the print edition of Henry Lorne Masta’s Abenaki Indian Legends, Grammar and Place Names is well worth purchasing, or at least downloading for free – although of course it can’t replace the experience of learning the spoken language.

But is there a way in which it might be made a little more useful? For example, the stories are in Abenaki and have English translations. The problem for the reader/learner is that there’s no vocabulary list. Unless you are already fluent in the language, it’s a pretty tough slog going through the texts word by word. A dictionary helps of course – but you still need to have a pretty good knowledge of Abenaki morphology before you can begin to make sense of it all.

Perhaps technology can help. Here’s an example from the first story in Masta’s book, called Maguak ta Wobanakiak (The Iroquois and the Abenakis) with a simple illustration of one possible direction using a pop-up dictionary. Mouse over the brown links to get the translation to appear.

MAGUAK Continue reading →