Footprints of the Red Men: Indian geographical names in the valley of Hudson's river, the valley of the Mohawk, and on the Delaware: their location and the probable meaning of some of them.Ruttenber, Edward Manning
History
Footprints of the Red Men: Indian geographical names in the valley of Hudson's river, the valley of the Mohawk, and on the Delaware: their location and the probable meaning of some of them.
Ruttenber, Edward Manning
Indians of North America -- New York (State); Names, Geographical -- New York (State); Names, Indian -- North America
[FN-4] "Description of a survey of 410 acres of land, called by the
Indian name Chauwangung, laid out for Thomas Lloyd." (N. Y. Land Papers,
44.)
[FN-5] N. Y. Land Papers, 60.
[FN-6] Ib. 169. Other early forms are Shawongunk (1685), Shawongonck
(1709), Shawongunge (1712).
[FN-7] From Jacobus Bruyn came the ancient hamlet still known as
Bruynswick. He erected a stone mansion on the tract, in the front wall
of which was cut on a marble tablet, "Jacobus Bruyn. 1724." The house
was destroyed by fire in 1870 (about), and a frame dwelling erected on
its old foundation. It is about half-way between Bruynswick and
Tuthilltown; owned later by John V. McKinstry. The location is certain
from the will of Jacobus Bruyn in 1744.
[FN-8] The most worthless interpretation is that in Spofford's Gazeteer
and copied by Mather in his Geological Survey: "_Shawen,_ in the Mohegan
language, means 'White,' also 'Salt.' and _Gunk,_ 'A large pile of
rocks,' hence 'White Rocks' or mountain." The trouble with it is that
there is no such word as _Shawen,_ meaning "White" in any Algonquian
dialect, and no such word as _Gunk,_ meaning "Rocks."
[FN-9] The monosyllable _Shaw_ or _Schaw,_ radical _Scha,_ means "Side,
edge, border, shore," etc. _Schauwunuppéque,_ "On the shore of the
lake." _Enda-tacht-schawûnge,_ "At the narrows where the hill comes
close to the river." (Heck.) _Schajawonge,_ "Hill-side" (Zeisb.), from
which _Schawong-unk,_ "On the hill-side," or at the side of the hill,
the precise bound of the name cannot be stated.
[FN-10] Doc. Hist. N. Y., iv, 71, 72, _et. seq._ Col. Hist. N. Y.,
xiii, 272, 326.
[FN-11] Authorities quoted and paper by Rev. Charles Scott, D. D., in
"Proceedings Ulster Co. Hist. Soc."
Memorasink, Kahogh, Gatawanuk, and Ghittatawagh, names handed down in the
Indian deed to Governor Dongan in 1684, have no other record, nor were
they ever specifically located. The lands conveyed to him extended from
the Shawangunk range to the Hudson, bounded on the north by the line of
the Paltz Patent, and south by a line drawn from about the Dans Kamer.
_Ghittatawagh_ is probably from _Kitchi,_ "Great, strong," etc., and
_Towatawik,_ "Wilderness"--the great wilderness, or uninhabited district.
_Gatawanuk_ seems to be from _Kitchi,_ "Strong," _-awan,_ impersonal verb
termination, and _-uk,_ locative, and to describe a place on a strong
current or flowing stream. The same name seems to appear in Kitchawan,
now Croton River. It may have located lands on the Wallkill.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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