The Axion or Atsayonck were a band of

Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...

Native Americans from present-day

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Their name may have derived either from the Unami term for "mud" or from Assiscunk Creek. The Axion lived along the

Assunpink Creek Assunpink Creek is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Delaware River in western New Jersey in the United States.Gertler, Edward. ''Garden S ...

, within territory bounded by

Rancocas Creek Rancocas Creek is a tributary of the Delaware River in southwestern New Jersey in the United States. The creek's main stem is long, with a North Branch of and a South Branch flowing .U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-re ...

and the site of what is now Trenton. In the mid-17th century, they were one of the largest Lenape bands on the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

Name

The name Axion derives from ''assiscu'', an

Unami language Unami () is an Algonquian languages, Algonquian language initially spoken by the Lenape people in the late 17th century and the early 18th century, in the southern two-thirds of present-day New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, and the northern ...

term for "mud", and translates as "the muddy place". The name is also recorded as "Atsayonck". American archaeologist and historian

Daniel Garrison Brinton Daniel Garrison Brinton (May 13, 1837July 31, 1899) was an American archaeologist, ethnologist, historian, and surgeon. Biography Brinton was born in Thornbury Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Yale University in 185 ...

suggested their name might derive from Assiscunk Creek, near

Burlington, New Jersey Burlington is a City (New Jersey), city situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Burlington County, New Jersey, Burlington County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a suburb of Philadelphia. As of the 2020 United States census, the c ...

. Czech-American anthropologist

Aleš Hrdlička Alois Ferdinand Hrdlička, after 1918 changed to Aleš Hrdlička (; March 30,HRDLICKA, ALES ...

noted in 1902 that the Axion may have shared their etymology with the Atrions, a band living above the Mingo. American archaeologist and historian

suggested their name might derive from Assiscunk Creek, near

Language

The Axion people spoke an

Territory

The Axion lived on the eastern side of the

, from

to the area that became

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County, New Jersey, Mercer County. It was the federal capital, capital of the United States from November 1 until D ...

History

The Axion were a band of the

people of what is now

. Their territory was on the eastern side of the

, from

to the area that became

. They mainly lived along

. William Nelson, writing in 1902, identifies the Axion with a "warlike" people known as the Atsionk, whose main village is given as near the site of present-day Atsion.Nelson 1902, p. 14 In 1648, the Axion were one of the largest Native communities on the Delaware River, with approximately 200 warriors.

References

Works Cited

* Carman, Alan E. (2013). ''Footprints in Time: A History and Ethnology of the Lenape-Delaware Indian Culture''. Trafford Publishing. * Hrdlička, Aleš (1902). ''The Crania of Trenton, New Jersey, and Their Bearing Upon the Antiquity of Man in that Region''. order of the Trustees, American Museum of Natural History. * Nelson, William (1902). ''The New Jersey Coast in Three Centuries: History of the New Jersey Coast with Genealogical and Historic-biographical Appendix''. Lewis Publishing Company.

External links

* {{Cite web , date=16 October 2011 , title=Axion Tribe , website=Access Genealogy , url=https://accessgenealogy.com/new-jersey/axion-tribe.htm Eastern Algonquian peoples Extinct Native American tribes Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands Lenape Native American tribes in New Jersey Pre-statehood history of New Jersey