Pennacook
The Pennacook are an Indigenous group associated with the western branch of the Abenaki family, primarily located in New Hampshire. Their name translates to "bottom of the hill," reflecting their geographical ties to the Merrimack River region, where they historically inhabited around thirty villages. In the early seventeenth century, they formed the Pennacook Confederacy under the leadership of Passaconaway, a notable sachem. The Pennacook faced significant challenges during the colonial period, notably avoiding involvement in King Philip's War and later migrating northward under their last chief, Kancamagus, due to threats from rival tribes.
Traditionally, the Pennacook lived in longhouses during the summer, accommodating large family groups, and utilized wigwams during hunting seasons. Their cultural practices and religious beliefs, passed down through oral traditions, have been a source of conflict with state authorities over the protection of sacred burial sites, which are often unmarked. Today, while there is no federally recognized Pennacook nation or reservation land in New Hampshire, descendants of the Pennacook can be found among various Indigenous communities in the northeastern United States and Quebec. Some groups, like the Cowasuck Band of Pennacook-Abenaki People, assert their connection to the Pennacook heritage, though this claim remains a subject of dispute.
Pennacook
- CATEGORY: Tribe
- CULTURE AREA: Northeast
- LANGUAGE GROUP: Algonquian
- PRIMARY LOCATION: New Hampshire
The Pennacook are part of the western branch of the Abenaki family. Their name means “bottom of the hill.” They encompass several bands from the Algonquian language family, many Indigenous nations of which were united as the Pennacook Confederacy by their best-known leader, Passaconaway, in the early seventeenth century. In 1614, there may have been thousands of people in thirty villages along the Merrimack River.
In 1675, their chief, Wanalancet, led the Pennacook deep into the woods to avoid becoming involved in King Philip’s War. In 1689, the last chief of the Pennacook, Kancamagus (also known as John Hawkins), under threat of Mohawk attack, led the nation north. Many in the Indigenous nation joined French mission villages in Canada (such as St. Francis), where their Indigenous identity was lost. Metallak, said to be the last of the Pennacook, returned to the United States and died in New Hampshire in 1848.
In the summer, family groups lived together in sturdy bark-covered, domed, rectangular longhouses with separate fires for each family. As many as sixty people lived in a house. In hunting seasons, smaller groups lived in conical moveable wigwams.
Religious beliefs and traditions, handed down by oral tradition to those who identify as descendants of the Pennacook and other New Hampshire Abenaki, led to conflicts between state officials and the Indigenous Americans living in New Hampshire. Burial sites are protected by federal law. However, the early custom of the Abenaki was to bury the dead in unmarked sites near their homes. Thus, all former homesites are considered sacred burial sites. The state has generally not recognized these claims. There is no reservation land in New Hampshire, and there is no federally-recognized Pennacook indigenous nation. While there was no distinct Pennacook nation in the twenty-first century, their descendants could be found in many northeastern Indigenous American communities and First Nations groups around the Quebec, Canada area. Some bands of Indigenous peoples in Vermont, such as the Cowasuck Band of Pennacook-Abenaki People, claimed Pennacook descent, although this was disputed by others.
Bibliography
Calloway, Colin G. "Abenaki History." Cowasuck Band of the Pennacook-Abenaki People, www.cowasuck.org/people-land-refuge.html. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Over 12,000 Years of History." UMass-Lowell, www.uml.edu/docs/Pennacook-People‗tcm18-326996.pdf. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
"Pennacook Culture and History (Penacook, Pennacock)." Native Languages of the Americas, www.native-languages.org/pennacook‗culture.htm. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.
Weiser-Alexander, Kathy. "The Pennacook Tribe of New England." Legends of America, July 2021, www.legendsofamerica.com/pennacook-tribe. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.