Nashaway
/ˈnæʃəweɪ/noun
Nashaway is a historical name for a Nipmuc Indigenous people and the region associated with them in present-day Massachusetts.
Did you know?Colonial records used Nashaway for both a Nipmuc community and the Nashaway River, showing how Indigenous place-names often preserved entire cultural landscapes rather than merely labeling locations.
Etymological Timeline
Precolonial period
Nipmuc
Nashaway
“An Indigenous name associated with the Nashaway people and their homeland; the precise original meaning is uncertain.”
17th Century
English colonial records
Nashaway
“A name applied to a Nipmuc community and to the river running through its territory in central Massachusetts.”
17th Century
English
Nashaway River
“The historical English name for the river now generally known as the Nashua River.”
18th–19th Centuries
English
Nashaway
“A historical and regional name retained in references to Indigenous inhabitants, geography, and local settlements.”
Modern English
English
Nashaway
“A historical proper noun referring chiefly to the Nipmuc people, their former territory, or associated geographical names.”
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