Androscoggin people facts for kids
The Androscoggin were a group of Abenaki people. They lived in what is now Maine and New Hampshire in the United States. By the 1700s, they joined other nearby tribes. They were also known as the Arosaguntacook.
What's in a Name?
The Androscoggin people had their own name for themselves: Arosaguntacook. This name comes from the eastern Abenaki language. It means "Rocky Flats flow" or "a river of rocks refuge."
Other ways their name was spelled include Amariscoggin and Ameriscoggin. The Penobscot and Cowasuck tribes also had their own names for them.
The name Androscoggin likely came from Massachusetts Governor Edmund Andros. He probably changed the name from Arosaguntacook. Today, the Penobscot people call the Saint Francis Abenaki Alessikantek-eyak. This is because the Arosaguntacook were ancestors of the Saint Francis people.
Where They Lived
The Arosaguntacook once lived along the Androscoggin River. This area is in what is now southern Maine and northern New Hampshire. Their main village was near where Lewiston, Maine is today.
They were one of the southernmost Abenaki tribes. This meant they were among the first to meet English colonists. They lived near the Pequawket people.
Their History
The Androscoggin people took part in King Philip's War in 1675. This was a major conflict between Native Americans and English colonists. Metallak was a known member of the Androscoggin tribe.
Maps
These maps show where different groups of the Wabanaki Confederacy lived:
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Eastern Abenaki (Penobscot, Kennebec, Arosaguntacook, Pigwacket/Pequawket)
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Western Abenaki (Arsigantegok, Missisquoi, Cowasuck, Sokoki, Pennacook)
Images for kids
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Arosaguntacook/Androscoggin territory, around the early 1600s
