Wabanaki Confederacy

Wabanaki Confederacy
Wabana'ki Mawuhkacik
1680s–1862
1993–present
Flag of Wabanaki
Wampum belt
Seal of Wabanaki
Seal
CapitalPanawamskek, Odanak, Sipayik, Lakeland Ridges, and Eelsetkook
Recognised regional languagesAbenaki
Wolastoqey-Passamaquoddy
Mi'kmawi'simk
English
French
Religion
Traditional belief systems,
including Midewiwin and Glooscap narratives;
Christianity, mainly Jesuits
Constituent countries
GovernmentTribal Confederation
History 
• Established
1680s
• Disestablished
1862
1993–present
• Re-established
1993
Today part ofCanada
United States

The Wabanaki Confederacy (Wabenaki, Wobanaki, translated to "People of the Dawn" or "Easterner"; also: Wabanakia, "Dawnland"[1]) is a North American First Nations and Native American confederation of five principal Eastern Algonquian nations: the Abenaki of St. Francis, Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Passamaquoddy (Peskotomahkati) and Penobscot.

There were more tribes, along with many bands, that were once part of the Confederation. Native tribes such as the Norridgewock, Alemousiski, Pennacook, Sokoki, and Canibas, through massacres, tribal consolidation, and ethnic label shifting were absorbed into the five larger national identities.[2]: 117 

Members of the Wabanaki Confederacy, the Wabanaki, are located in and named for the area which they call Wabanakik ("Dawnland"), roughly the area that became the French colony of Acadia.[3][4] The territory boundaries encompass present-day Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, in the United States, and New Brunswick, mainland Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island and some of Quebec south of the St. Lawrence River, Anticosti, and Newfoundland in Canada.

  1. ^ Bilodeau, Christopher J. (May 1, 2013). "Understanding Ritual in Colonial Wabanakia". French Colonial History. 14: 1–32. doi:10.14321/frencolohist.14.2013.0001. JSTOR 10.14321/frencolohist.14.2013.0001. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  2. ^ Walker, Willard (December 1, 1998). "The Wabanaki Confederacy". Maine History Journal. Voume 37: 110–139.
  3. ^ "New Brunswick: Tensions rise as anti-fracking protests dig in". rabble.ca. June 25, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  4. ^ "Maliceet "Woslatoqey" | Mohawk Nation News". mohawknationnews.com. June 25, 2013. Retrieved March 4, 2021.