Last Updated on July 20, 2014 by
Armouchiquois Indians (apparently a French corruption of Alemousiski, ‘land of the little dog,’ from allum ‘dog’ ousis deminutive, ac or auk ‘land’, “for there wer many little dogs in the prairies of this territory.” –Maurault). The name given by the Abnaki to the country of the Indians of the New England coast south of Sacro river, Maine. Williamson 1 says they were the Marechites (Malecite) of St. John’s River, but Champlain, who visited the Armouchiquois country, says that it lies beyond, that is south of Choüacoet (Sokoki), and that the language differed from that of the Souriquois (Micmac) and the Etchimin. Laverdière affirms that “the French called Almouchiquois several peoples or tribes that the English included under the term Massachusetts.”
According to Parkman 2 the term included the Algonquian tribes of New England–Mohegan, Pequot, Massachuset, Marraganset and others “in a chronic state of war with the tribes of New Brunswick and Mova Scotia.”
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