Indian languages * American Indian tribes * American Indian cultures

Maryland Native Animal Words

Here are the American Indian names of six native animals of Maryland. We have given their names in two different Indian languages: Lenape and Nanticoke.

As you can tell by looking at these words, Lenape and Nanticoke were pretty similar languages! They both belong to the Algonquian family. Today, Lenape and Nanticoke people all speak English. However, some kids from these tribes are learning their family's traditional language in addition to English.

Can you find one of these animal names that sounds similar in the Native American languages and English? English colonists borrowed the word for this new animal from Algonquian speakers!

Maryland Native Animal Names


Lenape: ahtú (pronounced ah-too)
Nanticoke: attque (pronounced aht-kwuh)

Lenape: nahënëm (pronounced nah-huh-num)
Nanticoke: echsup (pronounced etch-sup)

Lenape: òkwes (pronounced oh-kwase)
Nanticoke: waaks (pronounced wawks)

Lenape: škakw (pronounced shkock)
Nanticoke: tzuckquaak (pronounced chuh-kwawk)

Lenape: chëmamës (pronounced chuh-mah-muss)
Nanticoke: timihawque (pronounced tih-mih-haw-kwuh)

Lenape: xkuk (pronounced kh-kook)
Nanticoke: ashquoke (pronounced ash-quoke)

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