What does Susquehanna mean?
Susquehanna is a combination of two different languages, with the "Susque" portion of the word being a native Conestoga word, and the "hanna" part of the word comes from Algonquian language stock. "Hanna" means "river". The "ock" part of the word "Susquehannock" is of Algonquian language stock origin and indicates a nation of people.
How did the Susquehanna River get its name?
Native History In fact, the name 'Susquehanna' is derived from the Delaware Indian name “Sisa'we'had'hanna,” which means River Oyster. Ancient Petroglyphs found along the lower Susquehanna serve as a testament to the river's long history as a sustaining resource for its inhabitants.
What did the Susquehannock tribe call themselves?
Some of the Susquehannock people merged with the Meherrin, and allied Nottoway or Mangoac, the Iroquoian-speaking tribes located in what was then the colonies of Virginia and North Carolina. The new group called themselves "Chiroe n haka," according to the 20th-century ethnologist James Mooney.
What does Susquehannock High School mean?
Susquehannock High School of Southern York, Pennsylvania is named for the tribe. Susquehanna is a combination of two different languages, with the "Susque" portion of the word being a native Conestoga word, and the "hanna" part of the word comes from Algonquian language stock. "Hanna" means "river".
What does Susquehanna mean in Indian?
Native History In fact, the name 'Susquehanna' is derived from the Delaware Indian name “Sisa'we'had'hanna,” which means River Oyster. Ancient Petroglyphs found along the lower Susquehanna serve as a testament to the river's long history as a sustaining resource for its inhabitants.
What does Susquehanna stand for?
"Susquehanna" may come from the Lenape (Delaware) word siskëwahane meaning "Muddy River". Alternatively, it may come from the Len'api term Sisa'we'hak'hanna, which means "Oyster River." Oyster beds were widespread in the bay near the mouth of the river, which the Lenape farmed.
Is Susquehanna a tribe?
Susquehannock, also called Susquehanna or Conestoga, Iroquoian-speaking North American Indian tribe that traditionally lived in palisaded towns along the Susquehanna River in what are now New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
What Indians lived in the Susquehanna Valley?
The Susquehannock lived in large fortified towns, the largest of which may have had a population of nearly 3,000 people. Their communities were located along the Susquehanna, especially in Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, and York counties.
Who is Susquehanna?
Susquehanna International Group, the secretive shop of options masters based in Bala Cynwyd, trades fast and large. But it can also be a patient investor. Susquehanna made one of its most significant bets in that mode — and may be closing in on a massive payday as a result.
How do you pronounce Susquehanna?
Break 'susquehanna' down into sounds: [SUSK] + [WI] + [HAN] + [UH] - say it out loud and exaggerate the sounds until you can consistently produce them.
What are the three main languages of Native Americans?
The Europeans who arrived in Virginia discovered numerous tribes with distinct identities, but the different tribes used only three major linguistic groups: Algonquian, Siouan, and Iroquoian. At the time of first contact in the 1500's, Native Americans in the Western Hemisphere spoke 800-1,000 different languages.
Which Native American tribe celebrated the first Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims?
the Wampanoag IndiansThe holiday feast dates back to November 1621, when the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians gathered at Plymouth for an autumn harvest celebration, an event regarded as America's “first Thanksgiving.” But what was really on the menu at the famous banquet, and which of today's time-honored favorites didn't ...
What were the Indian tribes in Maryland?
The State of Maryland has formally recognized three tribes (the Piscataway Indian Nation, Piscataway Conoy Tribe and the Accohannock Indian Tribe) and the Maryland Commission on Indian Affairs serves the following Indigenous tribes in the state.
Are there any indigenous tribes in Pennsylvania?
There are no federally recognized Indian tribes in Pennsylvania, although the most recent census reports an American Indian population of more than 12,000. The Lenape continue to have a modern presence and are working to preserve the heritage of the Algonquian-speaking tribes of eastern Pennsylvania and Delaware.
Are there still Susquehannock people?
By 1700 there were only 300 Susquehannock remaining and their rapid decline continued until the last 20 were massacred by a mob of colonists in 1763. There are, however, known descendants among the Iroquois and Lenape today. Compiled by Kathy Weiser-Alexander, February 2019.
What language did the Susquehannock speak?
Iroquoian languageSusquehannock, also known as Conestoga, is an Iroquoian language spoken by the Native American people variously known as the Susquehannock or Conestoga.
How did the Susquehannock travel?
Travel was both on water and on land. On the water, it was via canoe, and several place names indicate locations where the portage was needed between river or stream sections. The main thoroughfare would have been what is today called the Susquehanna River. The length and navigability of this river via canoe would have allowed the Susquehannock to be a powerful regional force and to have strong internal trade routes between sub-tribes and clans. The Susquehanna River is navigable by canoe from near its source in what is now New York to its mouth in the Chesapeake Bay. The location of the Conestoga Homeland indicates that the Susquehannock language likely contained words for mountains, river features, land animals, plants, fish, coastal species, as well as for the land that was flat. The Pennsylvania Bison was likely hunted by the Susquehannock since the Pennsylvania Bison was found in the Conestoga Homeland. Breaks in the mountain range would have allowed for over-land travel via well-worn trails. Most travel would likely have been inside of the valleys between the ridges. This would have meant that the Susquehannock had access to trade from what is now the Southeast of the United States via the valley systems. This would mean that the Susquehannock could have traded with the Cherokee directly since the Cherokee were directly South of the Conestoga Homeland. The Cherokee are another Iroquoian people and it is possible that the languages were not hard for one or the other Nation to learn.
Where did the Susquehannock people live?
The Susquehannock people, also called the Conestoga by English settlers, were Iroquoian-speaking Native Americans who lived in areas adjacent to the Susquehanna River and its tributaries ranging from its upper reaches in the southern part of what is now New York (near the lands of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy ), through eastern and central Pennsylvania west of the Poconos and the upper Delaware River (near the lands of the Lenape ), with lands extending beyond the mouth of the Susquehanna in Maryland along the west bank of the Potomac at the north end of the Chesapeake Bay .
How many words are in Campanius' vocabulary?
Campanius' vocabulary contains about 100 words, and is sufficient to show that Susquehannock is a Northern Iroquoian language, closely related to those of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy Nations ( Five Nations ). The language of the Susquehannock appears to have been closely related to that of the Onondaga.
How many people lived in Susquehannock in 1600?
It is most likely that both are correct. Modern estimates of the total Susquehannock population in 1600 range as high as 7,000 people. During the sixteenth century and carrying forward into the first decades of colonization, the Susquehannock were the most numerous people in what is now called the Susquehanna Valley.
Why did the Appalachian Mountains protect the Susquehannock?
To the West, the Appalachian Mountains would have shielded the Susquehannock from the Algonquian Shawano (Shawnee) and thus prevent the threat of invasion from that direction. Thus the Susquehannock enjoyed life in a natural fortress due to protection on 3 sides from the Appalachian Mountains and valleys.
Which colony did the Haudenosaunee Confederacy establish a peace with?
In 1676 the Haudenosaunee Confederacy made a peace with the colony of Maryland and the colony of Virginia, and the Lenape. In a treaty with the Susquehannock, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy offered to shelter the Susquehannock, distant relations through the Iroquoian-language family, and sometimes allies.
What tribes were in Susquehannock?
Iroquois (Haudenosaunee), Erie people, Neutral Nation, Huron peoples (Wyandot), Tabacco peoples, Tuscarora, & Cherokee. Central location of the Susquehannock in Pennsylvania during the Beaver Wars with tribes shown about 1648–1650.
What is the Susquehannock tribe?
Little is known of Susquehannock political organization, but they are thought to have been subdivided into several subtribes and clans; the name may have referred originally to a confederacy of tribes . Like other Iroquoian tribes, they were semisedentary agriculturalists.
Who discovered the Susquehannock?
Courtesy of the State Museum of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The Susquehannock were first described by Capt. John Smith, who explored the upper Chesapeake Bay area in 1608.
What is the name of the tribe that lived in New York?
Alternative Titles: Conestoga, Susquehanna. Susquehannock, also called Susquehanna or Conestoga, Iroquoian -speaking North American Indian tribe that traditionally lived in palisaded towns along the Susquehanna River in what are now New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Which tribes spoke the Iroquoian language?
Erie, Susquehannock, and Laurentian Iroquois. The Tuscarora, who also spoke an Iroquoian language, lived in the coastal hills of present-day North Carolina and Virginia.…
What is the name of the tribe that lived in Palisaded towns?
Susquehannock, also called Susquehanna or Conestoga, Iroquoian -speaking North American Indian tribe that traditionally lived in palisaded towns ...
What is the name of the river in the Susquehanna?
For the Susquehanna River, the meaning of the names from the two languages differ. The Iroquoian name for the Susquehanna is Ga’-wa- no-wa’-na-neh Gehunda, meaning “Great Island River,” while the Algonkian name, Susquehanna, has been interpreted to mean “Long, Winding River.”
What is the Susquehanna River Basin Commission?
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission was created as an independent agency by a federal-interstate compact* among the states of Maryland, New York, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the federal government .
What river basin is Native American?
Native American Waterbody and Place Names Within the Susquehanna River Basin and Surrounding Subbasins
What is the Iroquoian name for Pine Creek?
Similarly, Tiadaghton is the Iroquoian name for Pine Creek, a tributary of the West Branch Susquehanna River. The Algonkian name is Cuwenhanna. The Iroquoian word Onaquaga, and the Algonkian word Wysox, both mean “place of wild grapes.”. For the Susquehanna River, the meaning of the names from the two languages differ.
Where did the Conejohela tribe come from?
Tribe Derivation Source . Waterbody, Village or Place . 132 6 Conejohela "A kettle on a long upright object" - Conoy and Shawnee village settled first at Washington Borough, Lancaster County, Pa., and later, in 1707, in York County, Pa., directly across the Susquehanna River from Washington Borough, Pa.
Why were Native Americans relocated?
Since the region’s Native Americans intensely cultivated the soil near their villages and eventually exhausted local firewood supplies, villages were relocated every ten to twenty years to sustain agricultural production and fuel sources. Also, with progressive settlement of frontier areas by Europeans, village relocation was often necessary in order to preserve the Native American’s way of life. For these reasons, the description of specific villages may include dates of occupation. As the cyclic evolution of habitation continued, it was not uncommon for one tribe to occupy a strategic village site for a period, followed by a time of evacuation and abandonment, and then, the resettlement of the site by another tribe or by European colonists.
What are some examples of prefixes used by Native Americans?
For example, in the Delaware words Mahoning, Wyoming, Poquessing, Minisink, and Assinnissink, the suffixes “ing” and “ink” give a locative significance to the words such as “at the” or “the place of.”.
Why is the Susquehanna River important?
The Susquehanna River is important in the transportation history of the United States. Before the Port Deposit Bridge opened in 1818, the river formed a barrier between the northern and southern states, as it could be crossed only by ferry. The earliest dams were constructed to support ferry operations in low water. The presence of many rapids in the river meant that while commercial traffic could navigate down the river in the high waters of the spring thaws, nothing could move up.
Where is the Susquehanna River located?
The Susquehanna River forms from two main branches: the North Branch, which rises in Cooperstown, New York, and is regarded by federal mapmakers as the main branch or headwaters, and the West Branch, which rises in western Pennsylvania and joins the main branch near Northumberland in central Pennsylvania.
What river did the Iroquois settle in?
The Susquehanna River has continued to play an important role throughout the history of the United States.
Why was Susquehanna named the most endangered river in the world in 2005?
The environmental group American Rivers named the Susquehanna "America's Most Endangered River for 2005" because of the excessive pollution it receives.
How long is the Susquehanna River?
At 444 miles (715 km) long, it is the longest river on the East Coast of the United States.
How many bridges cross the Susquehanna River?
Today 200 bridges cross the Susquehanna. The Rockville Bridge, which crosses the river from Harrisburg to Marysville, Pennsylvania, was the longest stone masonry arch bridge in the world when it was constructed, a distinction that it continues to hold.
Who were the three people who were commissioned to survey the Susquehanna River?
Following the United States gaining independence in the Revolutionary War, in 1790 Colonel Timothy Matlack, Samuel Maclay and John Adlum were commissioned by the Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to survey the headwaters of the Susquehanna river.
Overview
History
According to Minderhout, around 1450 the Susquehannock were living on the North Branch of the Susquehanna River. They moved downriver to present-day Lancaster County by 1525, where they lived in denser villages.
The Susquehannock told Europeans that they originally came from a large river valley to the west. Europeans who wrote this down seemed to assume that th…
Language
The Susquehannock are an Iroquoian-speaking people. Little of the Susquehannock language has been preserved in published print. The chief source is a Vocabula Mahakuassica compiled by the Swedish missionary Johannes Campanius during the 1640s. Campanius' vocabulary contains about 100 words and is sufficient to show that Susquehannock is a Northern Iroquoian language, …
Names
The Europeans who explored the interior of the east coast of North America usually learned the names of the interior nations from the coastal Algonquian-speaking peoples whom they first encountered. The Europeans adapted and transliterated these coastal exonyms to fit their own languages and spelling systems, and tried to capture the sounds of the names. No Susquehannock endonyms survive.
Society
The Susquehannock society was a confederacy of up to 20 smaller tribes, who occupied scattered villages along the Susquehanna River. They likely had clans, as did other Iroquoian-speaking tribes, as the basis for their societies, and were a matrilineal kinship culture. Children were considered born to the mother's family and gained social status from her clan. Property and inherited positions passed through her line.
Legacy
Places have been named for the historic tribe:
• Susquehannock State Park in Pennsylvania
• Susquehannock High School of Southern York, Pennsylvania.
• Toponyms of the Conestoga homeland reflect place names from the Susquehannock/Conestoga language. people.
Iroquoian Peoples
• Susquehannock
• Cherokee
• Chonnonton
• Erie
• Huron
Important Treaties
Covenant Chain