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Native American Indian Information
THE ALGONQUIN TRIBE
The Beginnings
The Algonquin Indians were less victims of
the European invaders than of unfortunate politics. The banding together of the Iroquois
Confederacy had beaten the Algonquins back from lands that had once been
theirs when the French arrived looking for furs and offering firearms. The
Algonquins jumped at the deal; however, though the French were good
friends to the Algonquins, they did not make such good allies, and the powerful
Iroquois, aided first by the Dutch and later by the English, defeated the French
and Algonquins alike. Though they were defeated, they were never destroyed, and
the Algonquin people have been able to maintain their culture unbroken in
pockets of their once-vast holdings...
Please learn more about the Algonquin Indians at:
http://www.native-languages.org/algonquin.htm
The People
There are about 8000 Algonquin Indians in Canada today,
organized into nine nations in Quebec and one nation in Ontario. The origin of
the word "Algonquin" (or Algonkin) is uncertain. It's often said to be
a Mohawk insult meaning "bark-eater," but that's not true--not that
the Mohawk didn't call their enemies bark-eaters (they did), but the Mohawk word
in question was "Adirondack." "Algonquin" isn't a Mohawk
word, and its origins are a matter of pure speculation. The Algonquins call
themselves "Anishnabe" or "Anishnabek" (the original people)
in their own language, just as their kinfolk the Ojibwa, Ottawa, and Potawatomi
do, but use the word "Algonquin" to differentiate themselves from
these other tribes, from whom they have always maintained political independence...
Please learn more about the Algonquin Indians at: http://www.native-languages.org/algonquin.htm
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