algonquian

Tag Archives: algonquian

The English and the Kuskawaroak

Posted on 31 Mar 10 by Editor

History teacher Michael Morgan has a great article on first contact between English colonists and the Algonquian people living in what is now the State of Delaware at DelmarvaNow.com. The encounter was not peaceful because the Kuskawaroak, or White Bead Makers*, were naturally very distrustful of the odd-looking invaders.

These peoples, part of what has been called the Algonquian Migration, are of great interest to me and I hope you, too, enjoy the article!

* These days, the Kuskawaroak are better known as the Tidewater People, or “Nanticoke.”

Category: Background | Tags: algonquian, american history, delaware, delmarva, john smith, kuskawaroak, michael morgan, nanticoke, native american

Algonquian-English Rosetta Stone at Jamestown?

Posted on 27 Mar 10 by Editor

How did I miss this? Something remarkable was found that combines languages and early American history.

In January, National Geographic reported on a slate found in a well at the Jamestown settlement which seems to contain information used by English colonists during the early 1600s to communicate with the local Native Americans, who spoke an Algonquian language.

I have always felt that the dynamics of different American peoples (the Iroquoian, Algonquian, Siouan, Muskogean, etc.) should be at least as well-addressed in American history as the dynamics between the Spanish, French, British, and Dutch invaders colonists.

This discovery makes specific what most modern Americans tend to think of in unrealistically generic terms, i.e. the “Native American” language. British colonists had to deal with the real world particulars of the residents of North America, who belonged to several linguistic/cultural groups as distinct as the Europeans are from the Arabs.

Category: Background | Tags: algonquian, american history, english, jamestown settlement, native american, rosetta stone