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. 315 words

The German missionary orthography is Lechauwak (Zeisb.), "Fork, division, separation," that wliich forks or divides, or oomes together in the form of a fork ; literally, "The Fork." Lcchauzvak, "Fork" ; Lechau-hanne, "Fork of a river," from which Lackawanna ; Lechau-wiechen, "Fork of a road," from which Lackawaxen -- "abbreviated by the Germans to Lecha, and by the English to Lehigh." (Reichel.) Napanoch, on the Rondout below Honk Falls, is probably the same word that is met in Nepeak, translated by Dr. Trumbull, *'Water-land, or land overflowed by water." At or near Port Jervis, Napeneck, Napenack, etc. The adjectival is Nepe, Nape, ''Water." Wassahawassing, in the Lowe Patent and also in the deed to Lowe from Henry Beekman, is probably from Awossi-newds-ing (Del.), "At the point or promontory beyond," or on the other side of a certain place. Mopochock -- "A certain Great Kil called Mopodhock," in patent to Joachim Staats, 1688, is said to have been the name of what is now known as Sandberg Kill, but was not, as that stream was in no way connected with the Staats Patent.

i68 INDIAN GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES.

Naversing is entered on Pownal's map between Rosendale and Fountain creeks, in the old town of Rochester. The map location may not be correct. The name is from Newds-ing, (Del.), "At a point or promontory." The familiar form is Neversink. Mattachonts, a modern orthography, preserves the name of a place in the town of Rochester, Ulster County, and not that of an Indian maiden as locally stated. The boundary description refers to a creek and to a swamp. The record orthographies are Magtigkenighonk and Maghkenighonk, in Calendar of Land Papers, and "Mattekah-onk Kill," local. Amangag=arickan, given as the name of an Indian family in western Ulster (Col. Hist. N. Y., xiii, 505), is probably from Amangak, "Large," with the related meaning of terrible, and Anakakan, "Rushes," or sharp rushes.