Introduction
The Abnaki (or Abenaki) was a group of Native American tribes who originally lived in what are now New England and eastern Canada. They included the Passamaquoddy, Penobscot, Sokoki, Cowasuck, and Pennacook. The Abnaki called themselves the Wabanaki, meaning “people of the dawn land.”
Society and Culture
The environment in which the Abnaki lived gave them a varied diet. The forests were rich with game animals such as bear, deer, and moose. They fished in lakes and rivers. The coastal Abnaki tribes caught lobsters and gathered oysters and clams. The southernmost tribes also planted fields of corn, squash, and beans.
The Abnaki generally lived in small bands of related families. Each was led by a chief chosen by the band. Bands lived part of the year in permanent villages and part of the year in hunting camps. Their houses were cone-shaped wigwams, which were made from a wooden frame covered with bark. Large villages were often protected by high fences of wooden poles.
History
In the beginning of the 17th century Europeans began arriving in Abnaki territory. Most were traders who offered Abnaki hunters metal tools and other European goods in exchange for furs. At first the Abnaki benefited from the trade. But the Europeans also brought diseases such as smallpox that killed tribespeople by the thousands. Warfare between tribes over hunting grounds claimed many other lives.
The Abnaki were also drawn into colonial wars. Like most other Algonquian tribes, they traded with the French and generally sided with them against the British. In the mid-18th century British soldiers drove out the French, and British settlers came in large numbers. Many Abnaki fled north into Canada.
During the American Revolution (1775–83) some Abnaki fought with the British. Others fought with the Americans. Nevertheless, Americans took over much of the tribes' remaining territory after their victory. Without land, the Abnaki could no longer live in their traditional way. By the 19th century most Abnaki had to earn a living through wage work or farming.
In 1980 the Penobscot and Passamaquoddy tribes won a lawsuit against the state of Maine over territory that had been taken from them illegally. They used a large part of the 81.5 million dollars they were awarded to buy land. By the late 20th century about 1,000 Abnaki lived in Quebec, Canada. More than 6,000 Abnaki lived in the United States, mostly in Vermont and Maine.
