by Alexandra Moleski, NHD Program Coordinator
kkʷey! In part 1, we explored the life of Pial Pol Osunkhirhine, author of the 1830 Wo̲banaki kimzowi awighigan that is held in the MHS archives. Now we are back with part 2 because it turns out that Osunkhirhine’s learning book is not quite written in the language we at the MHS thought it was.
On ABIGAIL, the digital library catalog of the MHS, the learning book was categorized as a “spelling and reading book in the Penobscot dialect of the Abnaki language.” This description comes from Bibliography of the Algonquian Languages, an 1891 publication by ethnologist James Constantine Pilling that also resides in the MHS collections. However, Pilling’s categorization of Osunkhirhine’s native tongue proves inaccurate. My first clue that Osunkhirhine is speaking an Abenaki dialect other than Penobscot was his upbringing at Odanak.
Abenaki does not refer to a singular tribal nation, but a group of various bands, including the Penobscot, living across Wabanakik (“Dawnland”), or what is now the northeastern US and southern Canada. As we learned in my previous post, the traditionally nomadic Abenaki began settling in various regions in the late 17th century due to warfare and displacement by European colonizers. Some Abenaki settled in present-day Québec and established the communities of Odanak and Wôlinak, while the Penobscot established their primary community in what is now Maine. And the Odanak, Wôlinak, and Penobscot communities were not the only bands of Abenaki in the region–many bands historically lived across Wabanakik but as a result of colonization, were gradually absorbed by the surviving Abenaki nations. Despite their geographical distance, the Abenaki dialect spoken by those at Odanak and Wolinak is closely linked to the Penobscot dialect, though they do have their differences.
My suspicions that Osunkhirhine is not speaking the Penobscot dialect were confirmed by linguist John Dyneley Prince’s 1910 essay, “The Penobscot Language of Maine.” The Abenaki dialect spoken at Odanak and Wôlinak as well as the dialect spoken by the Penobscot both belong to the Algonquian language family. However, residents of Odanak and Wolinak speak a dialect of Western Abenaki–or Canadian Abenaki as Prince describes it–while Penobscot is a dialect of Eastern Abenaki.
In an earlier 1902 essay titled “The Differentiation between the Penobscot and the Canadian Abenaki Dialects,” Prince explains that Abenaki and Penobscot are sister dialects that evolved from a common language, Old Abenaki. The consonant system, grammar, and vocabulary are largely the same between the two dialects. The biggest differences between them are found in the vowel system and intonation. Penobscot has a complex system of intonation and has almost a musical quality to the way syllables are accentuated, similar to the Passamaquoddy language. Meanwhile, the intonation of Abenaki is more monotone–much like the French language the Abenaki were exposed to in New France, later Lower Canada.
With confirmation that Osunkhirine is speaking Western Abenaki rather than Eastern Abenaki, I reached out to our wonderful library team here at the MHS and they quickly updated the listing in our online catalog. Now when you visit Wo̲banaki kimzowi awighigan in ABIGAIL, it categorizes the learning book and Osunkhirhine’s mother tongue as Western Abenaki.
This research experience reminds me that history truly is a living, breathing thing that we are all continuously still learning to understand, whether you are a seasoned historian or a new National History Day student. It also perfectly exemplifies the importance of researching deeply and checking your sources as you work on your NHD projects!
wə̀liwəni!
Further reading:
“Neg8nsosakilal8mow8gan: the voice of our ancestors” – Abenaki language learning app