Many different Native American languages have existed— perhaps more than 2,000 in all of the Americas, with about 300 in North America. The Algonquian (pronounced al-GON-kee-in) language is really a language family made up of many different dialects, or regional variations. Algonquian dialects had vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in common. But they still had many differences. In fact, Native Americans speaking one Algo-nquian dialect might not understand those speaking another and might need sign language to communicate.
Much can be learned about the early histories of tribes by studying their languages. It can be discovered, for example, that two tribes might have been one group in earlier times and then divided before Europeans came to the Americas. Yet in studying Indian culture, geography is usually more a determinant than language. Even if tribes spoke similar languages, they would have different ways of life if they lived in different environments—Plains people would live differently than woodland people, for instance, whether they spoke the same language or not.
In some cases, however, when tribes of the same language family lived in the same environment, it is convenient to study them together. The family of tribes known as Algonquians is one such grouping. Most Algonquian peoples lived in the woodlands of the Northeast and they had much in common (see NORTHEAST INDIANS). Yet because of varying lifeways and different histories, many Algonquian tribes are listed in this book by their individual names. This section will examine what the various Algonquian tribes had in common.
Sometimes the Algonquians are divided into more specific groups: (1) New England Algonquians, such as ABENAKI, MASSACHUSET, MOHEGAN, NANTICOKE, NAR-RAGANSETT, NIANTIC, NIPMUC, PASSAMAQUODDY, PEN-NACOOK, PENOBSCOT, PEQUOT, and WAMPANOAG; (2) Hudson River Algonquians, such as MAHICAN and WAP-PINGER; (3) Middle-Atlantic Algonquians, such as LENNI LENAPE (DELAWARE) and MONTAUK; (4) Southern Algonquians, such as POWHATAN and ROANOKE; (5) Great Lakes Algonquians, such as CHIPPEWA (ojibway), MENOMINEE, OTTAWA, and POTAWATOMI; (6) Prairie Algonquians, such as ILLINOIS, MIAMI, and SHAWNEE; (7) Combined Great Lakes/Prairie Algonquians, such as MESKWAKI (fox), KICKAPOO, and SAC; (8) Canadian Woodland Algon-quians, such as ALGONKIN, MALISEET, and MICMAC; and (9) Canadian Subarctic Algonquians, such as CREE, MON-TAGNAIS, NASKAPI, and some Chippewa (Ojibway) bands (studied as SUBARCTIC INDIANS).
Other Algonquian peoples lived in the East. Among the New England Algonquians were the Mattabesec, Nau-set, Pocumtuc, and Sakonnet. Among the Middle-Atlantic Algonquians were the Conoy. Among the Southern Algonquians were the Chowanoc, Coree (probably Algon-quian), Hatteras, Machapunga, Moratok, Pamlico, Sec-otan, and Weapemeoc. Among the Great Lakes Algonquians were the Noquet. Other Algonquians migrated westward to the Great Plains, such as the ARA-
PAHO, BLACKFEET, CHEYENNE, and GROS VENTRE (atSINA), and are usually studied as PLAINS INDIANS. People speaking what is thought to be an Algonquian-related dialect, such as the YUROK and Wiyot, lived on the Pacific Coast but are studied as CALIFORNIA INDIANS. It is the eastern tribes that historians generally refer to when they use the name Algonquian—the Algonquians who played such an important part in American and Canadian early history, from colonial times until about 1830.
Since so many Algonquians lived along the Atlantic seaboard, they were among the earliest Native Americans having contact with European explorers and settlers, such as the Jamestown colonists, the Pilgrims, and the founders of Quebec and Montreal. From the Algonquian language have come such familiar English words as hickory, hominy, moccasin, moose, papoose, powwow, sachem, squash, squaw, succotash, tomahawk, totem, wigwam, and woodchuck.
Many Algonquians were scattered or pushed westward soon after the arrival of Europeans in the colonial years. The Algonquians of the Great Lakes region lasted longer in their original homelands, but by the early 1800s, most of them had also relocated. Many of these peoples ended up in Oklahoma.
In general, the Algonquians were friendly with the French and often fought as their allies against the British and their allies, the IROQUOIS (haudenosaunee). Then in later years, various Algonquian tribes fought against Americans. The tribes’ histories are summarized under individual entries. This entry looks at cultural traits organized by the following categories: social organization and political systems; food; shelter; transportation; clothing; other arts and crafts; and religion, rituals, and legends. Some of these same subjects will also be discussed under individual tribal entries.
World History
