[ganong] INDIAN PLACE-NOMENCLATURE 425 



quent familiarization of sounds, for, keeping the approximately correct conception 

 of abundance of something, local tradition has transferred that something from the 

 unfamiliar, little-known ground-nut to the familiar and prominent fish. 



Summary. The name SHUBENACADIE is of Micmac Indian origin, a 

 corruption of SEGUBUN-A-KA'DI-K, meaning literally GROUND NUTS-THEIR- 

 OCCURRENCE-PLACE, or more generally THE PLACE WHERE GROUND 

 NUTS OCCUR, presumably in description of the abundance of those important 

 vegetables along the bordering intervales of the River in pre-historic times. 



Apparently a much-abbreviated form of the name is in use among the Indians, 

 for Rand gives the name AGEKADE apparently as exactly equivalent to Shuben- 

 acadie {Micmac-English Dictionary, 179). Further, it seems to me altogether 

 probable that the names BENACADIE and its variants, earlier discussed (page 389), 

 represent an abbreviated form of the same name. 



SKUDAKUMOOCHWACADIE. (1). The Micmac name for a large Island 

 in the Bras d'Or Lake, Cape Breton, once used as a burial ground, as Dawson states 

 on Rand's authority in his Acadian Geology, 2nd edition, 3, where the word is given 

 as SKUDAKUMOOCHWA-KADDY, meaning GHOST OR SPIRIT LAND. 

 The construction of the word is clear, for its latter part is evidently our familiar 

 combination -WA-KA'DI-(K), already explained (page 380), while the former part, 

 is as surely the Micmac SKÛDÂKÛMOOCH', meaning GHOST or SPIRIT (Rand 

 English- Micmac Dictionary, 120, 247), making the word in full SKODAKUMOOCH- 

 WA-KA'DI-(K), meaning literally SPIRIT-THEIR-OCCURRENCE-(PLACE). 

 As to the location of this place Father MacPherson has found that it is well known 

 to the present Micmacs of Cape Breton, who call it SGATEGAMOTJEOAGI, and 

 say that it is the small island, apparently Wilsons Island, just off Hay Cove or John- 

 sons Harbour, near the southwestern extremity of Bras d'Or. They explain the name 

 as GHOST'S PLACE, with an elaborate story of a Frenchman who was seen there 

 after he had been supposed to have been shot at Louisburg, etc. Then Chief Denys 

 adds that they see a light there yet, and this — "In old times before we civilize we 

 have big camp where all dry up bodies, but since civilize we have different places 

 for bury." In this chance expression of Chief Denys we have I think a reference to 

 an ancient custom mentioned by early writers, and the confirmation of Rand's explan- 

 ation. The main root of the word, by the way, is evidently connected with OOT- 

 KOODÂKÛN, meaning A GRAVE (see page 433). 



(2). It is evidently exactly this same word which the late Michael Flinne, gave 

 me, (at different_ times), in the forms_HËS-KÀ-DA'-GUM-MOOK-WÂ-GAD'-IK 

 and ES-KÙT-DA'-GÛM-MOOCH-WÂ-GÂ-DIK, with the meaning GHOST, for 

 Portage River, a branch of the Northwest Miramichi leading over towards Nepisiguit. 

 In light of the analogy of the preceding word, this name would seem to indicate an 

 important burial place upon that River, which also bears the name OWOKUN, 

 meaning PORTAGE, in description of its important Portage to Nepisiguit, as already 

 noted in this series {these Transactions, VI, 1912, ii, 198). 



SOOGUNACADIE. The Micmac name for Indian Cross Point, on the eastern 

 side of the entrance to East River, Pictou, Nova Scotia, according to Patterson's 

 History of the County of Pictou, 28, 32, where the word is given as SOOGUNAGADE 

 and stated to mean ROTTING PLACE in description of the Indian burial ground 

 there. The latter part of the word seems to involve our familiar root -A-KA'DI-(K), 

 already explained, (page 380) but I have not been able to identify with certainty the 

 first part SOOGUN, for the root meaning ROT is SOOGCLÛGÀK', and L and N 

 appear not to be interchangeable in Micmac (Rand, English- Micmac Dictionary, 

 222). Thus the matter needs further investigation. The root is no doubt related to 

 OOTKOODÂKÛNA'KÀDE, meaning A GRAVE YARD (page 433). 



