Algonquin Indians

At the time of the first European settlements in North America, Algonquin Indians numbered  in the hundreds of thousands.

Historically, these peoples were prominent along the Atlantic Coast and into the interior along the St. Lawrence River and around the Great Lakes. This grouping consists of peoples who speak Algonquian languages.

They occupied New Brunswick, and much of Canada east of the Rocky Mountains; what is now New England, New Jersey, southeastern New York, Delaware and down the Atlantic Coast through the Upper South; and around the Great Lakes in present-day Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa.

They were most concentrated in the New England region. The homeland of the Algonquian peoples is not known.

For about two centuries, Algonquians provided the main obstacles to the spread of Euro-American settlers, who concluded hundreds of peace treaties with them, most of which were later broken.

There is often confusion between the terms Algonkin, Algonquin, and Algonquian. The first two terms refer to the people while the latter refers to their language group.

Many present day tribes were once part of the great Algonquin Nation and later splintered off to form separate tribes.

Canada Algonquin

The French and later English encountered the Maliseet of present-day Maine, Quebec and New Brunswick; and the Mi’kmaq tribes of the Canadian Maritime provinces lived primarily on fishing.

Further north are the Betsiamites, Atikamekw, Algonquin or Anishinabe people and Montagnais/Naskapi (Innu).

The Beothuk people of Newfoundland are also believed to have been Algonquian, but their last known speaker died in the early 19th century. Few records of their language or culture remain.

New England area Algonquin

Colonists in the Massachusetts Bay area first encountered the Wampanoag, Massachusett, Nipmuck, Pennacook, Passamaquoddy, and Quinnipiac.

The Mohegan, Pequot, Pocumtuc, Tunxis, and Narragansett were based in southern New England. The Abenaki tribe is located in Maine and eastern Quebec. These tribes practiced some agriculture.

Mid- and south-Atlantic area Algonquin

The Lenape, also called Delaware, were (Munsee) and Unami speakers that were in what is now known as the eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, lower Hudson Valley and western Long Island areas in New York.

They encountered the European explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano in what is now New York Harbor in 1524. Branches of the Pequot occupied eastern Long Island.

Further south were the traditional homes of the Powhatan, a loose group of tribes numbering into the tens of thousands, who were among the first to encounter English colonists in the Chesapeake Bay.

Historic tribes also included the Nanticoke, Wicocomico, and Chickahominy peoples.

Midwest Algonquin

The French encountered Algonquian peoples in this area through their trade and limited colonization of New France along the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.

The historic peoples were the Shawnee, Illiniwek, Kickapoo, Menominee, Miami, and Sauk and Fox, also known as the Sac and Fox Tribe and later known as the Meskwaki Indians, who lived throughout the present-day Midwest of the United States.

During the nineteenth century, many were displaced over great distances through the United States enforcement of Indian removal west of the Mississippi River, to what is now Oklahoma.

Upper west Algonquin

Ojibwe/Chippewa, Ottawa, Potawatomi, and a variety of Cree groups lived in Upper Michigan, Western Ontario, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Canadian Prairies. The Arapaho, Blackfeet and Cheyenne developed as indigenous to the Great Plains.

Western area Algonquin

Algonquian people in the present states of Wyoming, Colorado, southwestern Nebraska and northwestern Kansas were ancestors to Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes.

Algonquin Legends

The Algonquin legends of New England include the folklore and myths of the Micmac, Passamaquoddy, Wabanaki, and Penobscot tribes, as well as Cree and others.

Characters of the Algonquin legends:

Glooskap (also spelled Nanabosho, Glooskabe, Gluskabe, Wisakedjak, Nanabozho, Wenaboozhoo, Nanabush, Manabush, Gluskabe, Wisaka, and several other ways) – A giant, also known as a transformer, the principal folk hero of Algonquin legends. He is featured in about two thirds of their legends. His name literally means Liar, because it is said that when he left earth he promised to return but has never done so.Manabozho is the hero’s name in the Anishinabe tribes, Glooscap is his name among the Wabanaki tribes, and Wisaka/Wisakejak are his names among the Cree and Central Algonquian tribes.

There are a few cultural differences between the three heroes (for example, Nanabosho is associated with rabbits while the other two are not; Glooscap and Nanabosho were raised by important grandmother figures, while Wisakedjak is usually described as a loner.) However, they are generally very similar figures, and many of the same stories are told in different Algonquian tribes with only the identity of the protagonist differing.

Nanabosho, Glooscap, and Wisakejak all play the role of trickster in some Algonquian stories, but are more important as teachers and benefactors of humans. Even their silliest escapades are seen as teaching the people how to behave. Unlike tricksters in some tribes, Algonquian culture heroes do not model evil or highly socially inappropriate behavior.

They are not necessarily taken seriously at all times, but are nonetheless beloved and respected figures. Pronunciations vary widely from tribe to tribe. In Minnesota Ojibwe, Wenaboozhoo is pronounced way-nah-boo-zhoo; in Mi’kmaq, Glooscap is pronounced gloo-scopp, and in Plains Cree, Wisakejak is pronounced wiss-ah-kay-jock.

Gitche Manitou – This name and its many linguistic variants mean “Great Spirit,” and is used to refer to the Creator (God) in the Algonquian tribes. Gitche-Manitou is a divine spirit with no human form or attributes (including gender) and is rarely personified in Algonquian folklore. The name is pronounced similar to gih-chee muh-nih-doo in Ojibwe, but varies widely from tribe to tribe.

Chipiapoos or Moqwaio: Manabozho’s brother, who was killed by evil water spirits and became the ruler of the land of the dead. He is sometimes associated with wolves. His Potawatomi name is pronounced similar to chee-bee-ah-boose, and his Menominee name is pronounced similar to muh-hwow.

Horned Serpent (Mishiginebig, Kichiginebig, etc): An underwater horned serpent, common to the legends of most Algonquian tribes. Its name literally means Great Serpent, and it is said to lurk in lakes and eat humans.

Nokomis – The wise old grandmother of Nanabosho (and sometimes Glooscap), who raised the hero.

Thunderbird (Animikii, Binesi, and Jigwe): Thunderbird, a giant mythological bird common to the northern and western tribes. Thunder is caused by the beating of their immense wings. Although thunderbirds are very powerful beings, they rarely bother humans, and were treated with reverence by Algonquian people.

Water Panther (Mishibizhiw, Nampeshiu) – A powerful mythological creature of Algonquian Indian stories, something like a cross between a cougar and a dragon. It is a dangerous monster who lives in deep water and causes men and women to drown.

Windigo or Chenoo – An evil man-eating spirit. Windigos play the roles of monsters and bogeymen in some legends; in others, Algonquian people who commit sins (especially selfishness, gluttony, or cannibalism) are turned into a Windigo as punishment.

Pukwudgies (Bagwajinini): Mythological little people of the forests. Their nature varies considerably in the folklore of different tribes. In Anishinabe folklore, pukwudgies are mischievious but generally good-natured beings.

In the Wabanaki tribes, pukwudgies are dangerous and must be treated with caution and respect. In the Wampanoag tribe, pukwudgies are unruly gremlins who can be malicious and deadly. Their name means “wild man” and is pronounced similar to buh-gwuh-jih-nih-nee in Ojibwe.

Wintermaker (also known as Biboon): The spirit of the North Wind, who brings winter to the land.

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