American Indian languages
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Abenaki or Abnaki?
Q: I found your site on the internet this morning and
thought, if you are still the organizer, you might
be able to help with something. I've been trying to
fact check two entries in our catalog for Abanaki --
and I'm trying to find the appropriate spelling --
do you know whether it is Abenaki or Abnaki?
My initial internet research didn't turn up anything
conclusive.
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A: Since Abenaki wasn't a written language for a long
time, the spelling of their name was not standardized.
So in English it was sometimes written "Abenaki,"
sometimes "Abnaki," and sometimes "Abanaki," and in
French it was sometimes also written "Abenaqui." None
of these are incorrect, and all still see some use
today.
However, the Abenaki Nation in Quebec and the
unrecognized Abenaki bands in New England all spell
their official tribal name "Abenaki" today, so that is
the primary spelling which I would go with in the
article.
Hope that helps!
Native Languages of the Americas
Related Links
Abenaki language
Abenaki spelling and pronunciation
Native American names
Abenaki Indian
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