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
Lackawack appears of record as the name of a stream in Sullivan County,
otherwise known as the West Branch of Rondout Creek, and also as the name
of the valley through which it passes. The valley passes into the town
of Wawarsing, Ulster County, where the name is met in the Beekman and in
the Lowe patents, with special application to the valley above Honk
Falls, and is retained as the name of a modern village. In the Lowe
Patent it is written Ragawack, the initials L and R exchanged; in the
Hardenberg Patent it is Laughawake. The German missionary orthography is
_Lechauwak_ (Zeisb.), "Fork, division, separation," that which forks or
divides, or comes together in the form of a fork; literally, "The Fork."
_Lechauwak,_ "Fork"; _Lechau-hanne,_ "Fork of a river," from which
Lackawanna; _Lechau-wiechen,_ "Fork of a road," from which
Lackawaxen--"abbreviated by the Germans to _Lecha,_ and by the English
to _Lehigh._" (Reichel.)
Napanoch, on the Rondout below Honk Falls, is probably the same word that
is met in _Nepeak,_ translated by Dr. Trumbull, "Water-land, or land
overflowed by water." At or near Port Jervis, Napeneck, Napenack, etc.
The adjectival is _Nepé, Napé,_ "Water."
Wassahawassing, in the Lowe Patent and also in the deed to Lowe from
Henry Beekman, is probably from _Awossi-newás-ing_ (Del.), "At the point
or promontory beyond," or on the other side of a certain place.
Mopochock--"A certain Great Kil called Mopochock," in patent to Joachim
Staats, 1688, is said to have been the name of what is now known as
Sandberg Kill, but was not, as that stream was in no way connected with
the Staats Patent.
Naversing is entered on Pownal's map between Rosendale and Fountain
creeks, in the old town of Rochester. The map location may not be
correct. The name is from _Newás-ing,_ (Del.), "At a point or
promontory." The familiar form is Neversink.
Mattachonts, a modern orthography, preserves the name of a place in the
town of Rochester, Ulster County, and not that of an Indian maiden as
locally stated. The boundary description refers to a creek and to a
swamp. The record orthographies are Magtigkenighonk and Maghkenighonk,
in Calendar of Land Papers, and "Mattekah-onk Kill," local.
Amangag-arickan, given as the name of an Indian family in western Ulster
(Col. Hist. N. Y., xiii, 505), is probably from _Amangak,_ "Large," with
the related meaning of terrible, and _Anakakan,_ "Rushes," or sharp
rushes. _Amangak_ is from _Amangi,_ "Big, large, powerful, dire," etc.,
and _-ak,_ animate plural.
Ochmoachk-ing, an unlocated place, is described as "Above the village
called Mombackus, extending from the north bound of the land of Anna
Beake southerly on both sides of the creek or river to a certain place
called Ochmoachking." (Patent to Staats, 1688.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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