38 



ALGONKIAN ALGONQUIAN FAMILY 



[b. a. e. 



Algonkian. A geological term used to 

 designate an important series of rocks 

 lying between the Archean and the Pale- 

 ozoic systems. These rocks are most 

 I^rominent in the region of L. Superior, a 

 characteristic territory of the Indians of 

 the Algonquian family, whence the name. 

 Geologists speak of the "Algonkian pe- 

 riod." (a. f. c. ) 



Algonkin (a name hitherto variously 

 and erroneously interpreted, but Hewitt 

 suggests that it is probably from ( IVIicmac ) 

 alcjoomeaklng, or algoomaking, 'at the 

 place of spearing tish and eels [from the 

 bow of a canoe] ' ) . A term applied origi- 

 nally to the Weskarini, a small Algon- 

 quian tribe formerly living on the present 

 (jatineau r., a tributary of Ottawa r., e. 

 of the present city of Ottawa, in Quebec. 

 Later the name was used to include also 

 the Amikwa, Kichesipirini, Kinonche, 

 Kisakon, Maskasinik, Matawachkiriui, 

 Missisauga, Michacondibi, Nikikouek, 

 Ononchataronon, Oskemanitigou, Ouaso- 

 uarini, Outaouakamigouk, Outchougai, 

 Powating, Sagahiganirini, and Sagnitao- 

 unigama! French writers sometimes 

 called the Montagnais encountered along 

 the lower St Lawrence the Lower Algon- 

 quius, because they spoke the same lan- 

 guage; and the ethnic stock and family of 

 languages has been named from the Algon- 

 kin, who formed a close alliance with the 

 French at the first settlement of Canada 

 and received their help against the 

 Iroquois. The latter, however, afterward 

 procured firearms and soon forced the 

 Algonkin to abandon the St Lawrence 

 region. Some of the bands on Ottawa r. 

 fled w. to Mackinaw and into Michigan, 

 where they consolidated and became 

 known under the modern name of Ot- 

 tawa. The others fled to the x. and e., 

 beyond reach of the Iroquois, but gradu- 

 ally found their way back and reoccupied 

 the country. Their chief gathering place 

 and mission station was at Three Rivers 

 in Quebec. Nothing is known of their 

 social organization. The bands now rec- 

 ognized as Algonkin, with their population 

 in 1900, are as follows. In Ottawa: Golden 

 Lake, 86; North Renfrew, 286; (iib- 

 son (Iroquois in part), 123. In (Quebec: 

 River Desert, 398; Temiscaming, 203; 

 Lake of Two Mountains (Iroquois in 

 part), 447; total, 1,536. As late as 1894 

 the Canadian Indian Office included as 

 Algonkin also 1,679 "stragglers" in Pon- 

 tiac, Ottawa co., Champlain, and St Mau- 

 rice, in (Quebec, but these are omitted 

 from subsequent reports. In 1884 there 

 were 3,874 Algonkin in Quebec province 

 and in e. Ontario, including the Temis- 

 caming. Following are the Algonkin vil- 

 lages, so far as they are known to have 

 been recorded: Cape Magdalen, Egan, 

 Hartwell, Isleaux Tourtes (Kichesipirini 



and Ni})issing), Rouge River, Tangouaen 

 (Algonkin and Huron), (j. m. c. t.) 

 Abnaki, — For forms of this word as applied totho 

 Algonkin, st'c Alnxiki. Akwanake. — Brctin'iif 

 iiuoted by SchooU'raft, Ind. Tril)rs, iv, 207, 1S54. 

 Alagonkins. — Croghaii (17fi5) in Moiitlily Am. 

 Jour, (icol., 272, 1831. Algokin.— Mckenzie 

 quoti'd l)V Tanner, Narr.,332, 1830. Algomeequin. — 

 Sfhook'raft. Ind. Tribes, l, 306, 18.=)1. Algome- 

 quins.— Ibid., V, 38, 1855. Algommequin.— Cham- 

 plain (1632), CEuv., v, pt. 2, 193, 1870. Algom- 

 quins.— Sagard (1636), Canada, l, 247, 1866. Al- 

 goncains. — Hennepin. New Disc, 95, 1698. Algon- 

 gins.— Traev (1667) in N. Y. Doc. Col. Hist., ni, 

 1.53, l,Vi;5. Algonguin,— Morse, N.Am., 2:W, 1776. 

 Algonic Indians. — Schooli-raft, Ind. Tribes, I, 38, 

 1851. Algonkins.— Hennepin (1683) in Harris, 

 Voy. anil Trav., ii, 916, 1705. Algonmequin. — 

 Martin in Bressani, Rel. Abr^gee, 319, 1653. Algo- 

 novins.— Aloedo, Die. Geog., v, 120, 17s9. Algon- 

 quains.— .les. Rel. 1653, 3, 1858. Algonquens.— 

 Sehoolcraft, Ind. Tribes, n, 358, 1852. Algon- 

 quin. — Jes. Rel, 1632, 14, 1858. Algoomenquini, — 

 Keane in Stanford, Compend., ,500, 1878. Algo- 

 quins. — Lewis and Clark, Trav., i, map, 1817. Al- 

 goquois. — Audonard, Far West, 207, 1869. Algou- 

 inquins.— CJorges (165S) in Me. Hist. Soc. Coll., 

 II, 67, 1847. Algoumekins.— Gallatin in Trans. Am. 

 Antiq. Soe., II. 21. ls3(i. Algoumequini. — De Laet 

 (1633) quoted bv Vater, Mithridates, pt. 3, see. 

 3, 404, 1816. Algoumequins.— Champlain (1603), 

 CEuv., II, 8, 1.S70. Algumenquini.— Kingsley, 

 Standard Nat. Hist., pt. 6, 147, 1883. Alincon- 

 guins.— Nieolls (1666) in N. Y. Doe. Col. Hist., I-I, 

 147, 1S53. Alkonkins,— Hutchins (1778) quoted by 

 .Tefferson, Notes, 141, 1825. Alquequin. — Llovd ill 

 .lour. Anthrop. In.st. G. B., iv, 44, 1875. Alten- 

 kins.— Clinton (1745) in N. Y. Doe. Col. Hi.st., Vi, 

 2M. 1855 (misprint). Attenkins.— Clinton (1745), 

 ibid., 27ii. 



Algonquian Family (adapted from the 

 name of the Algonkin tribe). A lin- 

 guistic stock which formerly occupied a 

 more extended area than any other in 

 North America. Their territory reached 

 from the e. shore of Newfoundland to 

 the Rocky mts. and from Churchill r. to 

 Pamlico sd. The e. parts of this territory 

 were separated by an area occupied by Iro- 

 quoian tribes. On the e. Algonquian 

 tribes skirted the Atlantic coast from 

 Newfoundland to Neuse r. ; on the s. they 

 touched on the territories of the eastern 

 Siouan, southern Iroquoian, and the 

 Muskhogean families; on thew. they bor- 

 dered on the Siouan area; on the n. w. on 

 theKitunahan and Athapascan; inLabra- 

 dor they came into contact with the Es- 

 kimo; in Newfoundland they surrounded 

 on three sides the Beothuk. The Chey- 

 enne and Arapaho moved from the main 

 body and drifted out into the plains. 

 Although there is a general agreement as 

 to the peoples which should be included 

 in this family, information in regard to the 

 numerous dialects is too limited to justify 

 an attempt to give a strict linguistic clas- 

 sification; the data are in fact so mea- 

 ger in many instances as to leave it 

 doubtful whether certain bodies were 

 confederacies, tribes, bands, or clans, es- 

 pecially bodies which have become ex- 

 tinct or can not be identified, since early 

 writers have frequently designated set- 

 tlements or bands of the same tribe as 

 distinct tribes. As in the case of all In- 

 dians, travelers, observing part of a tribe 



