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Massachusetts Native Animal Words

Here are the American Indian names of six native animals of Massachusetts. We have given their names in two different Indian languages: Wampanoag and Mohegan. As you can tell by looking at these words, these languages were related to each other. They both 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!

Massachusetts Native Animal Names

Mohegan: noyuhc (pronounced no-yutch) Wampanoag: ottucke (pronounced ah-tuck-eh)	Mohegan: áhsup (pronounced ah-sup) Wampanoag: ausupp (pronounced aw-sup)
Mohegan: wôks (pronounced wonks) Wampanoag: whauksis (pronounced wawk-sis)	Mohegan: skôks (pronounced skonks) Wampanoag: sakunk (pronounced sah-kunk)
Mohegan: tuksahs (pronounced tuck-sahs) Wampanoag: motuckquas (pronounced mo-tuck-was)	Mohegan: skok (pronounced skoke) Wampanoag: askooke (pronounced a-skoke)

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