To learn more about Maine’s Native American Pre-European History, visit:
the Maine Historic Preservation Commission, Prehistoric Archaeology
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Rokomeko - The Great Corn Land
Canton Point was formerly the headquarters of the Anasagunticook (or Androscoggin) band of the Abenaki tribe. The Abenaki tribe is a member of the Wabanaki Confederacy. Wabanaki means “People of the Dawn Land.” Molly Ockett is probably the most well known Abenaki in Western Maine.
The Anasagunticooks named their village Narakamigou. The name has been transliterated to Rokomeko—or variations thereof—and is thought to mean “great corn land” or “place where they hoed corn.” Anasagunticook, which also has multiple alternate spellings, means “river of rock shelters.”
In 1864,“The Historical Magazine” by John G. Shea, published the following:
The Rokomekos had their headquarters at Canton Point, and this may be considered the centre of the Indian population on the whole [Androscoggin] river. They were a semi-agricultural people. The broad intervales [or a low-lying tract of land along a river], to the extent of several hundred acres, were cleared and cultivated with corn. From what can be gleaned of their condition, it is probable that they were among the most populous of any tribe in Maine, previous to 1617….
And according to the website www.native-languages.org:
Up to 75% of Native Americans in New England died of European diseases in the 1500's and 1600's. After each disaster, the survivors of neighboring villages merged together, and…retreated into Canada to avoid attacks. Today, 2000 Abenakis live on two reserves in Quebec, and another 10,000 Abenaki descendants are scattered throughout New England.
Story by Liz Rothrock
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Article:
The Native People of Western Maine
by Jill Drinkwine Bouck
The town in Maine now known as Canton was very important in prehistoric and historic times because of the large lake known as the Anasagunticook. The lake provided water and a wide variety of food and plant resources for Native people. The name of the lake, which is often also known as the name of the people who once lived near its shores, has a wide variety of spellings. The English settlers translated the spoken Algonkian name to their own language and entered it into historical documents with various spellings. These types of English translations happened throughout New England in the 16,17 and early 1800’s. One of the local translations for this word is “a place where fish and game is processed (smoked, dried). Another area of Canton was said to contain large Native cornfields.
The Anasagunticook were part of a larger tribe that lived along the Androscoggin River and valley and were part of the Abenaki Confederacy. These people had lived in this area for generations, utilizing the large lake and river for fishing and and first traveled with dugout canoes and later with birch bark ones. The history of these Native Americans is not just hundreds of years old but thousands. The English gave Native groups names and assigned them “Tribes” and “Confederacies.”
There is a large amount of archaeological evidence of humans in New England beginning 12 to 10,000 years ago. Before this time glaciers covered the area. The early people were moving in small groups throughout the Northeast, hunting and gathering, following herds of animals in the cold tundra-like environment.
As the climate slowly warmed, the people began to have a more diverse and accessible food supply. They were able to spend more time in one place and no longer moved constantly following game. The population increased and groups had seasonal camps near rivers, lakes and shorelines where a wide variety of fish, game and plant resources was present.
Between 9 and 5 thousand years ago more and more people inhabited the New England region and with stable food supplies and more permanent settlements, the people were able to create shelters, a variety of tools and equipment and had time to create art and personal adornment items. The dugout canoe was created and used extensively during this period for travel, hunting and fishing. Caribou were replaced by deer, moose and bear and the spear was still the main hunting tool equipped with a spear thrower and weight to achieve velocity and thrust.
Between 3,000 and 500 years ago food resources in New England were seasonally diverse and the population was at an all time high. The birch bark canoe was invented which was light enough to be carried from one waterway to another turning rivers into highways and making seasonal travel between food resources easier than ever. The more portable bow and arrow were invented and a less to be used to hunt many different types of game from small to large. Ceramic pots were made for cooking and storage as well as baskets and a wide variety of wooden tools and equipment. The lifestyle was much more sedentary and village life thrived. Crops such as beans, corn and squash were grown and local nuts and berries were gathered.
It is estimated that there were about 20,000 people living just in what is now Maine during this period and another 60,000 in southern New England. The people of Maine were referred to as Wabenaki which was also known in Western Maine as Abenaki. All Northeastern Native people spoke variations of the Algonkian language.
When the first Europeans came into the Northeast about 500 years ago they traded iron and copper implements, glass beads and firearms to native people for food and furs. They introduced Christianity as well as the concept of land ownership. They gave the people tribal identities and borders and soon conflict began to erupt between the tribes. But it was the illnesses and diseases that the Europeans spread throughout New England that were the most devastating. By the 1700’s the Native American population of new England had been reduced by 75%.