Pennacook

Pennacook Tribe

Pennacook Indians (cognate with Abnaki pěnâ-kuk, or penankuk, ‘at the bottom of the of hill or highland.’ Gerard). A confederacy of Algonquian tribes that occupied the basin of Merrimac river and the adjacent region in New Hampshire, northeast Massachusetts, and the extreme south part of Maine. They had an intermediate position between the southern New England tribes, with whom the English were most directly interested, and the Abnaki and others farther north, who were under French influence. Their alliances were generally with the northern tribes, and later with the French. It has been supposed that they were an offshoot of … Read more

Accominta Tribe

Accominta Indians (possibly related to the Chippewa ä‛ku‛kŭmiga‛k, a locative expression referring to the place where land and water meet, hence, specifically, shore, shore-line – Wm. Jones.)  The name was given by the Indians to York River. A small tribe or band of the Pennacook confederacy, commonly called Agamenticus or Accominticus, that occupied a village of the same name at or near the site of the present York, York County, Maine, to which the name “Boston” was given on some early maps. Capt. John Smith says that the people of this place were allied to those immediately North of them, … Read more

Pennacook Indian Bands, Gens and Clans

Many tribes have sub-tribes, bands, gens, clans and phratry.  Often very little information is known or they no longer exist.  We have included them here to provide more information about the tribes. Amoskeag (namos ‘small fish’, kkig ‘to take’: ‘one takes small fish’). A small tribe or band of the Pennacook confederacy, living about 1675 in a village of the same name at Amoskeag falls, on Merrimac r., in Hillsboro co., N. H. This village was the residence of Wannalanset, head chief of the Pennacook confederacy, son of Passaconnaway.