“Abenaki” means “people of the Dawnland” aka easterners. These people inhabited the northeast New England as well as parts of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. It was split into various bands, all of whom spoke dialects of Algonquian. Total current day population is probably under 10,000.
They lived near rivers, and in the northern climate, they relied on fishing and hunting to keep them through the winter months. They lived in either conical wigwams or longhouses covered with birchbark. Sort of like 17th century mobile homes.Boys became fully-fledged men around 14 and 15. Girls could marry as soon as they menstruate. In older tradition the boy would through a wood chip toward the girl and if she picked it up, she had agreed to marry him.
The European clash between Catholic and Protestant beliefs had a devastating effect on the Indian tribes as the race for soul-winning spread through the New World. The Abenaki sided with the French Catholics and became involved in the Seven Years War (French and Indian War) against the English.
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There's a lot of past tense in there, are you talking about the 1200 or so Abenaki on reserves in Quebec, the several hundred in Vt and NH or the wider (more accurate usage) Wabanaki with 3000 Passamaquoddy, 3000 Penobscot, Maine Mic Mac and Maliseet and many thousands in New Brunswick? In that case, were not gone, I still live on the Saco, where my family stretches back more than 9,000 years, since before the Egyptians contemplated pyramids.
ReplyDeleteWM
Hey. Sorry for the late response. Just came across this comment now. Since this book is so small, it tries to cram a lot of information in and uses a lot of generalizations. It focuses mainly on the Abenaki of VT, NH, and into Canada, but does mention that the term "Abenaki" can refer to various people groups and that they are wide-spread.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for all the past tense is because the book is mostly about history and how things used to be for the Abenaki, not much about current day happenings. Hope that helps!