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The name "Quinnipiac" has been used as an appellative to refer to a group of Algonquians from southern New England's coast on Long Island Sound. This name derives from Ouinni-pe-oghq ("the long flowing river", which today is the Quinnipiac River in new Haven, Connecticut) and Quinni-pe-auke ("long water land") the original name for the city of New Haven, CT. But the name that my ancestors used to refer to themselves was eansketambawg, which, like dozens of other Native American names of self-identification meant, "We, the Original Surface-Dwelling People". [1,7,8,9]
During pre-history the Algonquian people settled in the area of eastern Canada, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. According to the culture-bearers associated with The Center for Algonquin Culture (CAC) the first-born Algonquian culture-hero was made from the earth and was taught how to build a fire and to keep it as the first council fire. Then the Creator continued, "Out of this great council fire, there will be seven sparks which will fly out of the fire and land on the ground, and each spark will stand up as a man. Seven sparks will fly out the other way, and out of these seven sparks will arise seven women. And they together will form seven groups or families. And these seven families will disperse in seven directions...each of those families will divide again into seven different groups" [5,6].
Thus began the Algonquian migrations. The Thunder Clan Family and six others dispersed down the St. Lawrence Seaway and where it meets the Connecticut River set off in the direction of Long Island Sound. The Quinnipiac Thunder Clan is called Pinessiwek-it or the House/Family of the Thunderer. There were originally seven bands of the Quinnipiac once they were settled in their present domain according to Algonquian tradition and prophecy composed of five clans: Thunder Clan, Bear Clan, Wolf Clan, Turtle Clan and Fishhawk Clan. Archaeological evidence gleaned from artifacts found at the Burwell-Karako site (located about a mile from the location where the original Quinnipiac central fire and stone fort was situated) were dated at 8,000 years BP from an ongoing occupation. Other artifacts found at College Woods, just below Wappintumpseck were dated at 10,000 BP. One other site (Templeton) in Connecticut goes back as far. The Quinnipiac...