Wabanaki Nation
/ˌwɑː.bəˈnɑː.ki ˈneɪ.ʃən/noun
A collective name for Indigenous peoples and communities of the northeastern woodlands, especially the members of the historic Wabanaki Confederacy.
Did you know?The Wabanaki Confederacy united five Indigenous nations—Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Passamaquoddy, Abenaki, and Penobscot—long before the modern borders of Canada and the United States.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Eastern Algonquian
Proto-Eastern Algonquian
*wa·pan-aki-aki
“Reconstructed source associated with the eastern or dawn land and its people; exact reconstruction varies among scholars.”
17th Century
Eastern Abenaki
Wôbanakiak
“Abenaki form meaning the people of the dawnland or eastern land.”
17th Century
French
Abénaquis
“French rendering of Abenaki, a closely related name for one Wabanaki people and, at times, the wider eastern Indigenous alliance.”
18th Century
English
Wabanaki
“English form used for the related Indigenous peoples of the northeastern woodlands.”
Modern English
English
Wabanaki Nation
“A contemporary collective designation for Wabanaki peoples, communities, and political or cultural organizations.”