Home / Ruttenber, E.M. Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names in the Valley of Hudson's River, the Valley of the Mohawk, and on the Delaware. Published in the Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association, Vol. VI. 1906. / Passage

Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names

Ruttenber, E.M. Footprints of the Red Men: Indian Geographical Names in the Valley of Hudson's River, the Valley of the Mohawk, and on the Delaware. Published in the Proceedings of the New York State Historical Association, Vol. VI. 1906. 308 words

Senasqua, quoted as the name of Teller's Point (now Croton Point), and also as the name of Teller's Neck, is described as "A meadow," presumably on the neck or point. It is an equivalent of Del Lenaskqiial, "Original grass," (Zeisb.), i. e. grass which was supposed to have grown on the land from the beginning. (Heck.) Called "Indian grass" to distinguish it from "Whitemen's grass." ^ Peppeneghek is a record form of the name quoted as that of what is now known as Cross-river. Kewighecack, the name of a boundmark of Van Cortlandt's Manor, is written on the map of the Manor Kezveghteuack as the name of a bend in the Croton west of Pine Bridge. It is from Kona, Kozva, Cnzvc, "Pine" -- C^iwe-uchac, "Pine wood, pine logs." (Zeisb.) Kestaubniuk is entered on Van der Donck's map as the name of an Indian place or village north of Sing Sing. On Vischer's map the orthography is Kestauhocuck. Dr. Schoolcraft wrote Kestoniuck, "Great Point," and claimed that the last word had been borrowed and applied to Nyack on the opposite side of the river, but this is a mistake as Nyack is generic and of local record where it now is as early as 1660. and is there correctly applied. No one seems to know where Kestaubniuk was, but the name is obviously from Kitsclu-hnuok, "Great ground-nut place." Kctclic-punak and Ketcha-bonac, L. I., K'schohhenak, Del. Menagh, entered in Indian deed to Van Cortlandt, 1683, as the name of what is now known as Verplanck's Point, is probably from Menach'eii (Del.), the indefinite form of Mendtes, diminutive, meanmg "Small island." The point was an island in its separation from the main land by a water course. Monack, Monach, Menach, are other orthographies of the name. Tammoesis is of record as the name of a small stream north of Peekskill.