All Around the Bay of Passamaquoddy/List of Indian Geographic Names
List of Indian Geographic Names Occurring Around Passamaquoddy Bay, Maine, With Their Derivations
Bar Harbor, Mount Desert, and Mount Desert island are all called in Indian Péssank or Péssan, "at the cham-digging place or places;" from ess, "shell," referring here to the clam only; p– prefix, –an verbal ending.
Bay of Fundy, a storm-beaten corner of the Atlantic ocean between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, is to the Indians Wekwabegituk, "waves at the head of the bay," –tuk referring to waters driven in waves or moved by the tide. Nowhere else in the world are the tides so high as in this bay. (See Oak bay.)
Bishop's point, a locality on north head of Grand Manan island, New Brunswick. Its Indian name, Budebé-uhigen, means death-trap of whales, from budebé-u, "whale"; –higen, a suffix which stands for "tool" or "instrument."
Campobello island, New Brunswick, is called Ebagwídek, from its position between Maine and the mainland of New Brunswick, "floating between;" éba, between; gwiden, floating. Another Indian name for this island is Edlitik, which seems to refer to the sudden deepening of the waters on the west side.
Cherry island, a rocky formation just south of Indian island, New Brunswick, is known to the native Indian as Mísik nĕgúsis, "at the little island of trees." Mísi is "tree" or "trees;" misik, "where trees stand;" nĕgú, abbreviation of m'níku, "island;" –sis, diminutive ending.
Cobscook bay, a body of salt water lying west and southwest of Moose island. It is the Indian term kápskuk, "at the waterfalls." The tide, rising here daily to about twenty feet, enters into the sinuosities of the shorelands, and the waters returning to the ocean form rapids, riffles, or cascades (kápsku).
Deer island, New Brunswick, a large isle at the southern extremity of Passamaquoddy bay, is Edúki m'niku, "of the deer the island."
D'Orville's head, eminence where St Croix river empties into Passamaquoddy bay; Kwagustehus'k, "at the dirty mountain;" from kwagwéyu, "dirty;" tehús, "mountain;" –k, locative particle, "at." The name was long ago corrupted into the more popular "Devil's head."
Eastport, city and harbor, has the same Indian name as Moose island, upon which it is built, Muselénk. This is a corruption from the hybrid compound Mús-ĕläénd'k, its second half being a corruption of island, with the locative –k appended. The locality where the last moose was killed, about a century ago, lies on its northern part. The genuine Indian name for Moose island is Mús m'níku. The Moose islanders (and the Eastport people especially) are called Musĕléniek.
Eel brook, a small rivulet at the northern end of Grand Manan island, is in Indian Katekádik, which stands for Kat-akádık, and signifies "where (–k) eels (kát) are plentiful (akádi)."
Gardner's lake, in Machias township, is called Némdamsw' águm, the term némdam designating a species of fresh-water fish rushing up brooks and channels (ném, upward); águm, "lake."
Grand Manan, New Brunswick, a large island with high shores, south of Passamaquoddy bay, is the Menanúk of the Indians. The name probably signifies "at the island" in the Micmac dialect.
Herring cove, a large sea-beach on the east side of Campobello island, facing Fundy bay and Grand Manan island, is called Pitchamkíak, "at the long beach;" pitchéyu, it is long; ámk, gravel; –kie, beach; locative case, –kíak. This cove has lately been made accessible by a good road leading to it from the Tyn-y-coed hotel, and with its picturesque views and its multicolored pebbles forms quite an attraction to visitors.
Indian island, New Brunswick, forms a narrow strip of one and a half miles' length at the southwestern entrance to Passamaquoddy bay, and was inhabited by these Indians before they crossed over to Lincoln's point and Pleasant point, Maine. They call it Misik-nĕgús, "at the tree island." The name of Cherry island (q. v.) is a diminutive of this.
Kendall's head, a bold headland in northern part of Moose island and facing Deer island, New Brunswick, upon the "western passage" of St Croix river, is called by the Indians Wabígenĕk, or "at the white bone," or Wabígĕn, "white bone," from the white color of a rock ledge on its top; wábi, white; –gen or –ken, bone; –k, at.
Kunaskwámkuk, abbreviated frequently into Kunaskwámk, is a comprehensive name given to the town of St Andrews, New Brunswick, to the heights above and north of it, where the Algonquin hotel is erected, and to the coast between St Andrews and Joe's point. The name signifies "at the gravel beach of the pointed top;" kuná, "point," referring to a sandbar projecting into the bay; kunaskwá, "pointed top or extremity;" ámk, "gravel," and here "gravelly beach;" –uk, locative ending, at, on, upon.
Lubec, a village south of Eastport, at the narrows between Campobello island and the mainland of Maine, is called Kebamkíak, "at the beach forming the narrows." Kebé-ik means "at the narrows," and is the same word as the Cree and Montagnais: Kébek, Quebec, in Canada; –kíak is the locative case of kie, "at the beach or beaches."
Machias and East Machias, two towns on the southern trend of the Maine coast, in Washington county, which were settled from Scarborough, in Maine, represent the term metchiéss, partridge.
Meddybemps village and Meddybemps lake, drained by Dennys river, Dennysville township, are called after a fresh-water fish, mĕde-béss'm, or the hanpout.
Moose island. (See Eastport.)
Moosehead lake, in the interior of Maine, Piscataquis county, is called in Passamaqnoddy Ktchi-ságuk, "at the wide outlet." A literal translation of the English name would be Musátp ágĕmuk; mús, "moose deer;" –atp suffix referring to "head;" ágemuk, "at the lake." Chesuncook is in Penobscot dialect the name of a lake to the northeast of Moosehead lake, and signifies "at the big outlet," Ktchi-sánkuk.
Mount Katahdin, on Penobseot river, though its name is worded in the Penobscot dialect, may be mentioned here as signifying "large mountain;" the syllable kt– is equivalent to ktchí, "large, great, big;" ad'ne, ad'na, is "mountain." The Penobscot Indians pronounce it Ktă′d'n (a short); the Passamaquoddies, Ktād'n (a long).
Norumbega is the alleged name of a river and some ancient villages or Indian "cities" in Maine, spelled in many different ways, but never located with any degree of certainty. The name does not stand for any Indian settlement, but is a term of the Abnáki languages, which in Penobscot sounds nalambígi, in Passamaquoddy nalabégik—both referring to the "still, quiet" (nala–) stretch of a river between two riffles, rapids, or cascades; –bégik, for nipégik, means "at the water." On the larger rivers and watercourses of Maine ten to twenty of these "still water stretches" may occur on each; hence the impossibility of determining the sites meant by the old authors speaking of these localities. Narantsuak, now Norridgewok, on middle Penobscot river, has the same meaning.
Oak bay, a large inlet of St Croix river, east of the city of Calais, is named Wekwayik—"at the head of the bay."
Passamaquoddy bay, according to its orthography now current, means the bay where pollock is numerous or plentiful. The English spelling of the name is not quite correct, for the Indians pronounce it Peskĕdĕmakádi pekudebégek. Peskĕdem is the pollock-fish or "skipper," "jumper;" called so from its habit of skipping above the surface of the water and falling into it again; –kadi, –akadi is a suffix, marking plenty or abundance of the object in question. (Cf. the same Acadia, derived from this ending.) There are several places on the shores of this bay especially favorable for the catch of this food-fish, like East Quoddy head, etc, as mentioned previously in this article. Quoddy, the abbreviated name now given to a hotel in Eastport, should be spelt: Kadi or Akádi, for there is no u-sound in this Indian term, and it would be better to write the name of the bay, if scientific accuracy is desired, "Peskedemakadi bay."
Pembroke lake, a long water sheet, stretching from northwest to southeast, is in Indian Ímnakwan águm, or "the lake where sweet tree-sap is obtained." Mákwan, or "sweet," stands for the liquid sugar running from the sugar maple in season. Agum means "lake."
Pleasant point, Indian village on the western shore of St Croix river, is called Sibá-ik, Sibáyik: "at the water-passage, on the thoroughfare for ships or canoes," which refers to the sites just south of the "point."
Princeton, a village on the Kennebasis river, south shore (an affluent of the St Croix river from the west), is called Mdakmíguk, "on the rising soil;" from mdá, "high, rising," and kmígu, an abbreviation of ktakmígu, "land, soil, territory."
Red Beach, on west shore of lower St Croix river, Calais township, above Robbinston, is named Mekwamkés'k, "at the small red beach; from mékw(a), "red;' ámk, "beach;" –es, diminutive ending, "small, little," and 'k, –ûk, locative case suffix, "at, on."
Schoodic or Skúdik, "at the clearings," is a topographic term given to the Schoodie or Grand lake, on headwaters of St Croix river; also to the St Croix river itself, and to the town of Calais, built on its lower course. That these clearings were effected by burning down the timber appears from the term itself; for skwút, skút means fire, and the name really means "at the fire." Another Skúdik lake lies in the southeastern corner of Piscataquis county, Maine.
St. Croix river, in Indian Skúdik síp, "the river of clearings;" from the clearings on its shores or on the Skúdik lake, where the river takes its origin. For a long distance it forms the frontier between Maine (Washington county) and New Brunswick. The French name, "Holy Cross," came from a cross erected by early French explorers.
St Francis river, in Canada, Ontario province, upon which Indians cognate to the Penobscots of Maine are living, is called by them Lesigantuk, a contraction of Ulastigán-tuk. The same name is given to their village and to the natives themselves.
St George and St George river, emptying into the northeast end of Passamaquoddy bay, are just as well known by their Indian name, Megigadéwik, "many eels having;" from mégi, many; gat or kat, eel; –wi, adjectival ending; –k, locative case suffix.
St John river, running near the western border of New Brunswick and its large tributary, the Aroostook, are both called in Penobscot and in Passamaquoddy, Ulastúk, "good river," meaning river of easy navigation, without cascades, falls, or rapids; from úla, wúli, good ; –tuk, tida. river and waters driven in waves.