COWASUCK BANDof the
PENNACOOK-ABENAKI PEOPLE
The People of the White Pines
The Abenaki Language
In our homeland encompassing Southern Quebec, Vermont, New Hampshire and parts of Maine and New York, many modern place names are derived from their original Native pronunciation. For example, the name of the well-known Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire originated from the Abenaki word Winninebesakik or region of the land around lakes. The main difficulty in understanding the Abenaki language from many published sources is that, unlike the English language, there is not always a literal translation for a word. For example, according to Gordon Day's Abenaki Dictionary, the Abenaki word for clock is babizookwazik. However, in Abenaki translation this word loses some of its meaning and becomes "that thing that ticks." The concept of a clock and other terms is further complicated because Native Americans do not think along Western European lines, and have an altogether different concept of what time is and how it is measured. Consequently, while many place names have remained similar to their original names, a literal translation of many other Abenaki words is not possible.