Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes

ABENAKI 1
ABENAKI
Abenaki, pronounced AB-eh-nah-kee, can be translated
from the Algonquian language as “those living at the
sunrise,” “people of the dawn land,” or “easterners.”
(The Algonquian word itself is wapanahki; alternative
spellings include Abnaki, Wabanaki, or Wapanaki.)
Those people classified under this name occupied ancestral
territory in what now is the state of Maine, the easternmost
of all the states, as well as parts of present-day
New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts.
The Abenaki actually were an alliance of many Algonquian-speaking
tribes or bands—the Abenaki Confederacy—consisting
of the Abenaki proper, along with other
groups in Maine, the PASSAMAQUODDY and the PENOB-
SCOT, as well as the MALISEET and MICMAC to the north
in present-day Canada and the PENNACOOK to the west in
present-day New Hampshire. The Abenaki sometimes are
discussed as the Eastern Abenaki and the Western
Abenaki. The Penobscot, living along the Penobscot River
in Maine, and other bands, such as the Pequawket (Pigwacket)
and Norridgewock, living along the Androscoggin,
Kennebec, and Saco Rivers, are considered Eastern
Abenaki. The Passamaquoddy are sometimes placed in the
eastern subdivision although their closest relatives linguistically
are the Maliseet. The Western Abenaki classification,
based on a particular dialect, includes bands living
along the upper Connecticut River valley in New Hampshire,
Vermont, and Massachusetts, as well as the Missiquoi
(Missiassik) on Lake Champlain in northwestern
Vermont. The Pennacook in New Hampshire and bordering
parts of Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont are sometimes
grouped with them as well.
Lifeways
The Abenaki way of life resembled that of other NORTH-
EAST INDIANS, combining some farming with hunting,
fishing, and gathering. Yet the Abenaki were less dependent
on agriculture than were ALGONQUIANS living farther
south, because of less favorable growing conditions.
Furthermore, unlike most other New England Algonquians,
the Abenaki generally built cone-shaped wigwams
rather than dome-shaped wigwams. Some bands
built IROQUOIS (HAUDENOSAUNEE)–style longhouses as
well. They used birch-bark and elm-bark mats over
sapling frames to shape these woodland dwellings. Like
the tipis of PLAINS INDIANS, the wigwams had holes in
the top to let out the smoke from cooking fires. The bark
mats could be rolled up and carried to new village sites
or camping sites during long hunting, fishing, or warring
expeditions. In the winter, tribal members lined the interior
walls of the wigwam with bear or deer skins for insulation.
They also built walls of upright logs—referred to
as palisades—around their villages for protection.
Abenaki Wars
After King Philip’s War of 1675–76, involving the
WAMAPANOAG, NARRAGANSETT, and NIPMUC living to
the south of the Abenaki, some Abenaki bands began
moving north to French Canada, eventually settling at
St. Francis Mission and Bécancour in Quebec. During
the French and Indian wars, the French and their Indian
allies fought against the British and their Indian supporters.
These various conflicts for control of North
America lasted almost 100 years—from 1689 to 1763—
and are further organized in history books as the following:
King William’s War (1689–97), Queen Anne’s War
Abenaki conical wigwam with elm-bark covering
(1702–13), King George’s War (1744–48), and the
French and Indian War (1754–63). The Abenaki allied
themselves with the French. They launched many raids
against British settlements in New England—sometimes
collectively referred to as the Abenaki Wars.
The Abenaki first became involved in the fighting
through their friendship with a Frenchman, Jean