Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names

In all dialects tbe most simple combina;tions appear in geographical names, w'hidh the late Dr. J. H. Trumbull resolved into three classes, viz. : " I. Those formed by the union of two elements, which we will call adjectival and substantival, or groundword, with or without a locative suffix, or post-position word meaning 'at,' 'in,' 'on,' 'near/ etc. [I use the terms 'adjectival' and ' substantival,' because no true adjectives or substantives enter into the composition of Algonquian names. The adjectival may be an adverb or a preposition ; the substantival element is often a verbal,

O INDIAN GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.

which serves in composition as a generic name, but whidli cannot be used as an independent word -- the synthesis always retains the verbal form.] H. Those which have a single element, the substantival, or ground-word, with locative suffix. III. Those formed from verbs as participials or verbal nouns, denoting a place where the action of the verb is performed. Most of these latter, however," he adds, " may be shown by strict ana'iysis to belong to one of the two preceding classes, which compri.se at least nine-tenths of all Algonquian local names which have been preserved." For example, in Class I, Wapan-aki is a combination of Wapan, " the Orient," " the East," and aki, " Land, place or country," unlimited; with locative suffix {-ng, Del., -it, Mass.), "In the East Land or Country." JCif-ann-ing, Del., is a composition from Kitschi, " Chief, principal, greatest," hanne, " river," and ing locative, and reads, " A place at or on the largest river." The suffix -aki, -acki, -hacki, Del., meaning " Land, place, or country, unlimited,'' in Eastern orthographies -ohke, -auke -ague, -ke, -ki, etc., is changed to -karnik, or -kamike, Del., -kamuk or -komuk, Mass., in describing " Land or place limited," or enclosed, a particular place, as a field, garden, and also used for house, thicket, etc.