Abenaki

[ uh-ben-uh-kee; English ab-uh-nak-ee, ah-buh-nah-kee ]

noun

, plural A·be·na·kis, (especially collectively) A·be·na·ki

1. a member of a grouping of Indigenous peoples of southern Quebec, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and parts of northern Massachusetts.
2. any of the Eastern Algonquian languages of the Abenaki peoples.

adjective

1. of or relating to the Abenaki or their language.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Abenaki¹

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French Abenaqui, Abenaki, from Eastern Abenaki ( Penobscot ) wapánahki or Western Abenaki wɔ̃banakii, literally, “people of the dawn land, easterners,” a self-designation

Example Sentences

Mr. Stevens said that the Abenaki people view themselves as “stewards of the land.”

From Washington Times

Museum officials have consulted on the project with the leaders of the four bands of the state-recognized Abenaki tribes in Vermont.

From Seattle Times

Ms. Obomsawin, 90, is a member of the Abenaki Nation and grew up in Quebec.

From New York Times

Her win follows changes to the organization’s policies, including the acknowledgment that the residency program takes place on First Nations land, home of the Western Abenaki people.

From New York Times

Michelle O’Bonsawin, an Abenaki member of the Odanak First Nation and a judge of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, is set to fill the vacancy on the nation’s highest bench after a parliamentary hearing.

From Seattle Times