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Maine Native Animal Words

Here are the American Indian names of six native animals of Maine. We have given their names in three different Indian languages: Abenaki-Penobscot, Maliseet-Passamaquoddy, and Micmac. As you can tell by looking at these words, these languages are pretty similar to each other! They all belong to the Algonquian family.

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!

Maine Native Animal Names


Penobscot: moz (pronounced mooz)
Passamaquoddy: mus (pronounced moos)
Micmac: tiyám (pronounced tee-yomm)

Penobscot: awasos (pronounced ah-wah-suss)
Passamaquoddy: muwin (pronounced moo-win)
Micmac: muwin (pronounced moo-win)

Penobscot: wôkwses (pronounced wawk-suss)
Passamaquoddy: qaqsoss (pronounced kwock-suss)
Micmac: wowkwis (pronounced woke-wiss)

Penobscot: azeban (pronounced ah-zuh-ban)
Passamaquoddy: espons (pronounced ess-puns)
Micmac: amaljikwej (pronounced ah-mall-jeek-wage)

Penobscot: mikoa (pronounced mee-ko-ah)
Passamaquoddy: mihku (pronounced mee-koo)
Micmac: atútuwej (pronounced ah-toot-wage)

Penobscot: sips (pronounced sips)
Passamaquoddy: sips (pronounced sips)
Micmac: sisip (pronounced si-sip)

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