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
Rappoos, which formed the northeast boundmark of the Paltz Patent, is
specifically located in the Indian deed "Thence north [from Juffrou's
Hook] along the river to the island called Rappoos, lying in the Kromme
Elbow, at the commencement of the Long Reach." The island is now known
as Little Esopus Island, taking that name from Little Esopus Creek, which
flows to the Hudson at that point. It lies near the main land on the east
side of the river, and divides the current in two channels, the most
narrow of which is on the east. Kromme Elleboog (Crooked elbow), is the
abrupt bend in the river at the island, and the Long Reach extends from
the island south to Pollepel's Island. The name is of record Rappoos,
Raphoes, Raphos and Whaphoos, an equivalent, apparently, of _Wabose_ and
_Warpose,_ the latter met on Manhattan Island. It is not the name of the
island, but of the small channel on the east side of it from which it
was extended to the island. It means, "The narrows," in a general sense,
and specifically, "The small passage," or strait. The root is _Wab,_ or
_Wap,_ meaning, "A light or open place between two shores." (Brinton.)
Tawarataque, now written and pronounced _Tower-a-tauch,_ the name of the
northwestern boundmark of the Paltz Patent, is described in the Indian
deed already quoted: "Thence [from Rappoos] west to the high hills _to a
place_ called _Warachoes_ and _Tawarataque,_" which may refer to one and
the same place, or two different places. Surveyor Graham held that two
different places were referred to and marked the first on the east side
of the Wallkill at a place not now known, from whence by a sharp angle he
located the second "On the point of a small ridge of hills," where he
marked a flat rock, which, by the way, is not referred to in the name.
The precise place was at the south end of a clove between the hills,
access to which is by a small opening in the hills at a place now known
as Mud Hook. Probably _Warachoes_ referred to this opening. By dialectic
exchange of _l_ and _r_ the word is _Walachoes--Walak,_ "Hole," "A hollow
or excavation"; _-oes,_ "Small," as a small or limited hollow or open
place. "Through this opening," referring to the opening in the side of
the hill at Mud Hook, "A road now runs leading to the clove between the
ridges of the mountain," wrote Mr. Ralph LeFever, editor of the "New
Paltz Independent," from personal knowledge. _Tawarataque_ was the name
of this clove. It embodies the root _Walak_ prefixed by the radical _Tau_
or _Taw,_ meaning "Open," as an open space, a hollow, a clove, an open
field, etc., suffixed by the verb termination _-aque,_ meaning "Place,"
or _-áke_ as Zeisberger wrote in _Wochitáke,_ "Upon the house." The
reading in _Tawarataque_ is, "Where there is an open space"; _i. e.,_ the
clove. [FN] The late Hon. Edward Elting, of New Paltz, wrote me: "The
flat rock which Surveyor Graham marked as the bound, lies on the east
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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