The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1892-06-28
SOME OLD INDIAN NAMES.
Theodore F. Wolfe'S Re-
searches Into the Leni
Lenape Titles.
"THE Still WATER With STEEP Shores"
Tracing Obscure Derivations-
Theories Concerning Lake Hop
atcong I'D Pompton.

In an interesting article on son old
Indian names in the DoUer Iron Era, The
cdore F. Wolfe gives the following results
of his researches
The nan Whippany has been inter-
preted TO mean ARROW creek" the creek
Icing so called for the alleged reason that
willow or ether wood from which arrows
were made abounded upon its banks. This
Interpretation / have not been able to
serify-Alluns and Mallsauuk (and, &C
cording to Schoolcraft. Neap also) being
the Lenape words for arrow.
The name has been variously written:
Whippanong IN 1896, Whippenung In
I740, Whippenins in 1718. and still earlier
(17l5), W%ippening and Weppenunk-the
the aboriginal pane Wapanunk Cor Woap-
aning). Til. word used as a proper name
aud applied to a river would mean RIVER
of the east" or ''the river flowing to
the east" The name was given also
10 Il small chm of Indians who
awelt in the neighburhood OF the stream.
The whole area of New Jersey belonged
to the great Minsi tribe of the Leni Len
ape marion, but distinct local names were
applied to the inhabitants OF each dis
trict or vicinage, and these names were
often derived from those OF the streams
near which the community or clan
usually had it's abode.
In ancient document the name Pc
quaunock is spelled Pequanac in 174l.
Poqunnock in 1740, Paquanlc in 1858. 1t
is noticeable that III the spellings OF most
of these names, the earliest most nearly
resembles the original name of whicL The
English rendering is n corruption. In
this case the Lenape name is Pakhaupek
(the first syllable being O cont! action OF
Pakapum, dark). aud signifies The dark
riv, r" The fitness of the name will not
lie questioned by those who have follow
ed this stleaiu in the upper part of its
course though dark ravines and beneath
over arching evergreen coughs which ex-
cluda the sun. This name was also APP
Piled secondarIly to a community of
Indians who inhabited the valley of the
IiVsr.
A document of which l have a copy,
dated May, 1776. and signed by $50 1nh t.
bitants of "Pequanock," hedges Them to
sustain The Continental Congress against
the British ministry.
DERIVATION OF PoMPTON.
Despite some earnest protests, l am con-
strained to say that further study serves
TO confirm my former coDclnsion as TO the
name Pompton. The name Pnnplton,
discovered by ny friend Marian Harland.
with its alleged meaning "the meeting Of
The waters" will rave 10 be abandoned
The Mlnsi-L word having most nearly
this nj auing is Tukquahna (Hlna being
unGerstood). and u proper name cpi!-
structed upon this would be A~nduhtukqu-
%ahnake-a rather formidable word and
not a. all resembling Pompi on.
One CORRESPONDENT suggests it Is O cor
ruption of Pombaton. Ibis would be
contracted from Denomination and. II
used to designate a locality, would be
Apduhpomhatong, meaning where 1t
runs down n steep grade"-a rapids.
The assumption that the name comes
from Pongton and hat the Lenape gave
this appeliatiOn to the great rock III The
stream at Ryers ms dam is easily dis
posed of. The name would be composed
OF parts of two words C~''pongie," Il piece
of, and "tonge.' Cittle). and could only
mean ga piece of o littie')-a noun must
necess arily be suf1iXed to make sense, and
the word resulting must be mod11ed and
another termination aided to render IL a
proper name. and the name thus obtained
will be very different from the Pontong
with which we star. Ell. This would not
j have been an appropriate name-and
Ienape names were always appropriate
and The rock Tor the locality Was ever
called Pongtong.
Upon the other hand. further research
adduces additional evidence that Pomp-
ton is Il corruption of linton and means
CROOKED mouth"
Aud, as in the Lenape the word Ton,
mouth, is not applied to rivers as in the
English, (the Minsi-L. term being Sauka-
wax. where the river comes out") the
name does not refer to the mouths of the
streams there, as Barber supposed, bnt
appears to de-crlbe an oral-please don't
print 1t oval-contorLlon OF It's aDorlglnal
inhabitants.
THE EARLY NAME OF BUDD'S LAKE.
Hawke kaning, the ea"ly name of
Budd's Lake, has been spelled also
Mountaineering, KawkawannIng and
Q74U Notwithstanding. The name ap-
not ouly to the charming lakelet, but to
its outlet and vicinity. l may mention
the various interpretations which have
ben offered.
OF these talking water" seems to BE-
the most popular. From the Lenape
Tonhen, talk, and Mi, waters no name
been constructed which worlT at all re-
semble the one we are considering.
The rendering whispering water" is
even worse, for this would be derived
trem Gu schk, tonheu and Mbi.. Echo
ing water" is the translation published by
summer visit ,r. The Minsi-L. wurd
which most neirly signifies ecno is Shes
hogua. and this with the ~locltive ing or
ong sufixed would be very unlike haw-
kawkaniDg.
A New York society newspaper discov.
cred last year that the naine means
dancing W.ser;' that would be Kantkoo-
pakahk in taG Minsi-Lenape.
A valued correspondent suggests that l
will fird the name stands for oval. re-
ferring to the shape of the lake." In that
case Inc appellalion weutd be ''quin-
oochan" (e~gg-shaped) with a l~ocative
added.
Some Ting q the Curb Stone man,
commenting upon the alleged iuterpreta-
ton talking water" obselv'd INIT Its
sig nificance Is derived from the fact til at
The place was vocal with the cries of will
iowl Mt the season the Indians resorted
10 the lake, aud that this circumstance
suggested to them the name. A little re-
search demonstrates the almo~t literal
ruth of this lbs rvation and affords rs
the Interpretation we seek. Noticeably
abundant among wild fowl found there
wa the wild goose, which, from its crv,