Evening star., 1901-05-31
PUZZLES FOR POSTMEN.
Long Names Derived From Language
of the Red Men.

| From the Bangor (Me.) Commercial.
| Most Maine people who are of a fair de-
gree of Intelligence know how, after at
least a readable fashion. to spell, and, what
is more how to pronounce the hundreds OF
| jawbreaking Indian names which glare
from the map Of the state Few states
have more Indian names on their maps
| than Maine.
Some day years hence they will be val
liable and the people who live at the places
blessed with the Abenaki terminology will
be proud and happy. At this age of villes
and burgs and fields and other endngs the
long and frequently musical Indian names
| appear ridiculous and unnecessary to per-
sons who live outside the state. The names
will be valuable some time as relics of
dead language, the Abenak tongue.
| When the Penobscot Indians are no more
| the language will be no more. 1t may be
years but it will come about sooner or
| later that all the Indian tradition in Maine
| will be gone, never to return. 1t will not
| be much of a loss to the world, perhaps
| but 1t will be too bad.
Even the Indian names will gradually be-
come contracted and finally will disappear
| One can already how this is to be. AS
| a place begins to grow in Importance, COM
mercial or otherwise. IL it's name is too long
! or too unpronounceable for everyday use,
| it is cut down once or twice until it is short
enough to handle easily In ordinary con-
versation and correspondence. In this way
the original spelling and pronunciation and
| consequently the meaning of a great num-
| Der of the names will be lost.
AS long ago as the early fifties. when
| Henry David Thoreau came to Maine and
made special study of the Indian names
| end their meanings, even then the words
were becoming so contracted and corrupt
that the Indians themselves, the most in
telligent of them, were unable to give him
satisfactory or reliable information. In the
Maine Woods he gives a long list of Maine
names with their meanings as nearly as
he could make them out, but in many cases
they are construed doubtfuly, as he him
self admits.
If one were today to attempt such task
he would quickly find that even these few
years have made a great difference in the
spelling of names and it would be discov-
| cred that cOrruptionS Of names frequently
used are the rule and not the exception
For instance, Debsconeag for Katepscone-
gon Is a good example. Caucmag gomoc for
| Caucomgomoc is another; Abol for Abol-
Interchangeable and Abojackamegas is an
other and perhaps In the light of swiftly
moving time one of the most forgivable
The spelling of names is strange and won-
derful, and the variety of lettering that
can be found on various maps of the state
all supposed to be authentic, is bewildering.
MillinOcket with one 'l'' or with two "t'S'
puzzled the Boston and Albany mapmakers
for a long time last fall. There are Was
satacook. Wassataquiok and Wissataquiok
| Nobody is competent to say which is to be
preferred. There are Ktaadn, Kahdn and
Katahdin; Seboeis, Schools and Sebois.
Take your choice. There has been a long,
other over Norumbega. They have been
spelled differently a hundred times by
writer's ever since they were known at ali.
To be sure in old days, before diction-
aries could be bought (unabridged for
sl25, people who could spell word In the
greatest variety of ways were considered
immensely erudite, but conformation 10
| one rule Is necessary in these days Of
nd
he who overrides should be looked upon as
malefactor against the social system.
kenduskeag has been rudely handled by
! time; from Condeskeag and Conduskeak
| besides other variations, 1t has come to he
forever kenduskeag, which may or NAV not
! be right Short names like Molunkus Nj
catous Rlpogenus, Telos and the like will
| probably always remain as they are but
| whatever is to become of Pockwockamus
Sourdnahunk or Sowadnehunk, Passamag-
mock and Observation-Disclosures?
| quoddy and Mattawamkeag are too fnti-
mately related to the history of Maine
since the white men have been here but
they may change Just as Millinocket 10 IN
danger of losing one Of its Is. These names
are pretty well known, and though they are
naturally misspelled they are fairly well
treated most Of the time.
There Is a name though. which Is maulad
and man-handled and ink-splashed and
brutalized and tortured beyond recognition
every day In the year. 1t is an innocent
| ildlHe eHOuSu, dIlHOuSn IL must De admit
ted that the spelling of 1t takes time and
intelligence If one has merely heard 1t pro-
nounced couple Of times by a careless
speaker.
1t Is Wytopitlock. The postmaster of this
place began to notice the different ways of
spelling some time ago. and he made a COL
lection of some of the more remarkable Of
them as they came along on the outsides of
envelopes directed to residents of the town
| The place isn't very big, which is lucky
Consiaer the trials of that postmaster If
the town was as large as Bangor and all
the people who wrote letters spelled Wyto-
pitlock differently! The postmaster knows
| all the methods He has to. Here thew
| are:
| Whftplock, I Anytopetlock
Winter Pitock, Flytopitlock
| Widow Paddock, Wytopills
Wttter Pollock, Wyte PedlOck
Mitter Peiog White Oak Paddock
Mhytlock, WytporetOck,
| WytlOck. Witipidlock,
Witter Pietlask. Westapitlock.
| WylaIS, WhetlOck,
| Myptie6ek, WytOpillOck,
| WiteOpitelock, Mitaplock
Wfttipetlock, WadopitlOcs,
PsytOlOck Paddock
| PwytopetlOek, | Weetopedioock
No RObber of His Race,
| From he Ca,Rca1o Record- Herald