Language: Algonquin is the language for which the Algonquian
language family is named. This has caused great confusion, and makes it difficult to find information about the actual Algonquin language:
many websites incorrectly identify other Algonquian languages as Algonquin or the Algonquin language as Algonquian,
and some people even claim there is no "Algonquin" language. There is, and it is spoken by 3000
Algonquin people in Quebec and Ontario. "Algonquin" refers only to that language, while "Algonquian" refers to the entire language
family-- like "German" refers to a language while "Germanic" refers to a language family. The Algonquin Indian language is verb-based
and closely related to Ojibwe. Some linguists even consider it an Ojibwe dialect, since speakers
can roughly understand each other (similar to Spanish and Italian speakers in Europe.) Algonquin is not related to Ancient Egyptian, Hebrew, or
other semitic languages; this data was faked.
People: There are 8000 Algonquin Indians in Canada today, organized into nine nations in
Quebec and one nation in Ontario.
"Algonquin" (or Algonkin) is often mistakenly said to be a Mohawk
insult meaning "bark-eater." Actually, that word was actually "Adirondack," which can still be seen in place names today.
"Algonquin" isn't a Mohawk word, and its origins are uncertain--it may have come from the Maliseet word elehgumoqik ("our allies,")
the Mi'kmaq word algoomaking ("of the fish-spearing-place"), or the Maliseet word elakanqin ("they are good dancers.") The Algonquin
Indians call themselves "Anishnabe" or "Anishnabek" (the original people) in their own language, like their kinfolk the
Ojibwa, Ottawa, and
Potawatomi, but use the word "Algonquin" to differentiate themselves from these
politically independent tribes.
History: The Algonquin Indians were the victims of unfortunate European politics. The banding together of
the Iroquois Confederacy had driven the Algonquins from lands
that were once theirs, and when the French arrived trading firearms for furs, the Algonquins jumped at the deal.
Though the French were good friends to the Algonquins, they did not make such good allies. The powerful Iroquois, aided first by the Dutch
and later by the English, defeated the French and Algonquins alike. Though the Algonquins were defeated, they were never destroyed, and the Algonquin
Indian culture lives on in pockets of their once-vast territory.
Spielmann Bibliography:
Linguist from Pikogan First Nation studying the Ojibway and Algonquin languages.
George Aubin:
Linguist studying Algonquin and related languages.
Algonquin Proper Names
Algonkins Placenames:
North American place names in the Algonkin Indian language.
Native American Names for Pets:
Fundraiser offering names for dogs and other animals in Native American languages (including Algonquin).
American Indian tribes
L'Algonquin (French version)
Algonquin Vocabulary:
Algonquin Audio Samples:
