Choptank people

Choptank
Total population
Extinct as a tribe
Regions with significant populations
Eastern Shore of Maryland
Languages
Nanticoke
Religion
Native American religion
Related ethnic groups
Nanticoke, Lenape

The Choptank (or Ababco[2]) were an Algonquian-speaking Native American people that historically lived on the Eastern Shore of Maryland on the Delmarva Peninsula. They occupied an area along the lower Choptank River basin,[3] which included parts of present-day Talbot, Dorchester and Caroline counties.[4] They spoke Nanticoke, an Eastern Algonquian language closely related to Delaware.[5][6] The Choptank were the only Indians on the Eastern Shore to be granted a reservation in fee simple by the English colonial government.[7] The Choptank were a subdivision of the Nanticoke.[8]

  1. ^ Clark, Patricia Roberts (21 October 2009). Tribal Names of the Americas: Spelling Variants and Alternative Forms, Cross-Referenced. McFarland. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-7864-5169-2.
  2. ^ Also Ababeve or Abapco.[1]
  3. ^ "Choptank River Basin" Archived 2011-04-20 at the Wayback Machine, Dept of Natural Resources, Maryland, accessed 18 Mar 2010
  4. ^ Wayne E. Clark, "Indians in Maryland, an Overview", Maryland Online Encyclopedia, 2004-2005, accessed 18 Mar 2010
  5. ^ Nanticoke Language, Native Languages of the Americas, accessed 18 Mar 2010
  6. ^ Nanticoke Tribe, Native Languages of the Americas, accessed 18 Mar 2010
  7. ^ Wayne E. Clark, "Indians in Maryland, an Overview", Maryland Online Encyclopedia', 2004-2005, accessed 18 Mar 2010
  8. ^ Swanton, John Reed. The Indian Tribes of North America. pp. 59–60.