Abenaki

Abe·na·ki

noun \ˌa-bə-ˈnä-kē\

plural Abenaki or Abenakis also Abnaki or Abnakis

Definition of ABENAKI

1

: a member of a group of American Indian peoples of northern New England and adjoining parts of Quebec

2

: either of the two Algonquian languages spoken by the Abenaki peoples

Variants of ABENAKI

Abe·na·ki also Ab·na·ki \ab-ˈnä-kē\

Origin of ABENAKI

Eastern Abenaki wαpánahki, Western Abenaki wǫbanakii, literally, dawn land people, easterners

First Known Use: 1721

Abenaki

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Abenaki traditional dance troupe performing a friendship dance in Montpelier, Vt.—Toby Talbot/AP

Confederacy of Algonquian-speaking North American Indian peoples living mostly in Quebec, Can., and Maine, U.S. The contemporary Abenaki consider their home territory to be southern Quebec and the U.S. states of Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as parts of Maine and New York. Their name means “toward the dawn” or “easterners.” The name is applied to a number of groups—including Androscoggin, Kennebec, Malecite, Ouarastegouiak, Passamaquoddy, Patsuiket, Penobscot, Pigwacket, Mi'kmaq (Micmac), Pennacook, Rocameca, Sokoni, and Wewenoc—who formed the Abenaki Confederacy in order to resist the Iroquois Confederacy, especially the Mohawk. In the 17th century the Abenaki sided with the French against the English, but, after severe defeats, they withdrew to Canada, many eventually settling at Saint-François-du-Lac and Becancour, near Trois-Rivières, in Quebec. There are also reservations in Maine and in New Brunswick, Can. Abenaki descendants numbered some 8,000 in the early 21st century.

Variants of ABENAKI

Abenaki or Abnaki or Wabanaki