﻿ABORIGINAL 
  PLACE 
  NAMES 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  55 
  

  

  Grand 
  Sachem 
  mountain, 
  in 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  Fishkill, 
  retains 
  an 
  

   Indian 
  title. 
  

  

  New 
  Hackensack 
  village 
  is 
  in 
  Fishkill. 
  This 
  New 
  Jersey 
  name 
  

   means 
  lowland. 
  

  

  K'tah-ka-nah-shau 
  has 
  been 
  translated 
  big 
  mountains, 
  and 
  is 
  

   sometimes 
  applied 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  this 
  country. 
  

  

  Man-ca-pa-wi-wick 
  was 
  a 
  small 
  stream 
  near 
  Mansakin 
  meadow. 
  

  

  Man-sa-ken-ning, 
  1686, 
  is 
  now 
  Jackomyntie's 
  Fly, 
  It 
  seems 
  the 
  

   same 
  as 
  the 
  next. 
  

  

  "A 
  fresh 
  meadow 
  called 
  Mansakin 
  " 
  was 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  

   Eaquaquannessinck 
  tract. 
  

  

  Mat-a-pan, 
  near 
  Poughkeepsie 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  the 
  Veil 
  tract, 
  

   seems 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  a 
  purchase 
  of 
  June 
  15, 
  1680. 
  These 
  tracts 
  

   were 
  sold 
  on 
  Mynachkee 
  (?) 
  kill. 
  One 
  included 
  the 
  creek 
  from 
  

   the 
  river 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  fall, 
  called 
  Matapan, 
  3 
  miles 
  from 
  the 
  Hud- 
  

   son, 
  and 
  Papakaing 
  kill 
  among 
  others. 
  Trumbull 
  said 
  that 
  Mata- 
  

   pan 
  meant 
  sitting 
  down 
  place, 
  referring 
  to 
  a 
  portage. 
  Such 
  a 
  

   meaning 
  seems 
  improbable 
  here. 
  

  

  Mat-te-a-wan 
  mountains, 
  village 
  and 
  creek. 
  Ruttenber 
  thought 
  

   Moulton 
  wrong 
  in 
  calling 
  the 
  Highlands 
  by 
  this 
  name, 
  and 
  said 
  it 
  

   was 
  the 
  Indian 
  name 
  for 
  Fishkill 
  creek, 
  usually 
  defined 
  good 
  furs. 
  

   He 
  preferred 
  little 
  zvnter 
  or 
  motion, 
  or 
  else 
  large 
  water 
  in 
  the 
  valley, 
  

   for 
  the 
  lower 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  creek. 
  The 
  definitions 
  are 
  far 
  apart. 
  

   Schoolcraft 
  made 
  the 
  meaning 
  enchanted 
  furs 
  or 
  skins, 
  not 
  merely 
  

   good 
  furs. 
  Brodhead 
  derived 
  it 
  from 
  metai, 
  magician, 
  and 
  wian, 
  

   skin; 
  that 
  is, 
  charmed 
  skin 
  or 
  fur. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  also 
  defined 
  as 
  

   council 
  of 
  good 
  tire. 
  Spaflord 
  said 
  of 
  the 
  Matteawan 
  mountains 
  : 
  

   4i 
  These 
  were 
  called 
  Matteawan 
  by 
  the 
  aborigines, 
  the 
  country 
  of 
  

   good 
  fur, 
  their 
  name 
  also 
  for 
  the 
  creek, 
  that 
  we 
  now 
  call 
  Vis-kill, 
  

   and 
  Fishkill, 
  a 
  Dutch 
  name 
  old 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  legitimate, 
  but 
  not 
  half 
  

   so 
  old 
  or 
  so 
  appropriate 
  for 
  a 
  range 
  of 
  mountains 
  as 
  Matteawan." 
  

  

  Ma-wen-a-wa-sigh, 
  Great 
  Wappinger's 
  kill. 
  Maevenawasigh 
  is 
  

   the 
  same. 
  Ruttenber 
  defined 
  this 
  as 
  a 
  la\rge 
  waterfall, 
  while 
  others 
  

   make 
  it 
  large 
  and 
  good 
  stream 
  and 
  cascade. 
  

  

  Me-tam-be-sem, 
  1688, 
  is 
  now 
  Sawmill 
  creek. 
  

  

  A 
  tract 
  called 
  Mi-nis-singh 
  and 
  a 
  waterfall 
  called 
  Pooghkepe- 
  

   singh, 
  in 
  the 
  Highlands, 
  were 
  a 
  free 
  gift 
  from 
  an 
  Indian, 
  May 
  5, 
  

  

  