Etchemin was a language of the Algonquian language family, spoken in early colonial times on the coast of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. The word ''Etchemin'' is thought to be either French alteration of an Algonquian word for 'canoe' or a translation of ''Skidijn'', the native word for people in use by the inhabitants of the St. John, Passamaquoddy and St. Croix Rivers. The only known record of the Etchemin language is a list of the numbers from one to ten recorded by Marc Lescarbot in the early 17th century and published in his book ''The History of New France'' (1609). The numerals in the list match those of Malecite-Passamaquoddy, Eastern Abenaki, as well as languages of southern New England such as

Wampanoag The Wampanoag, also rendered Wôpanâak, are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Northeastern Woodlands currently based in southeastern Massachusetts and forme ...

, but as a set they do not match any other Algonquian language. The Etchemin language disappeared not long after Lescarbot's visit, and it is unknown what became of the tribe. All other language records called 'Etchemin', under more detailed analysis, appear to be the neighboring

Malecite-Passamaquoddy language Peskotomuhkati-Wolastoqey ( or Maliseet-Passamaquoddy ( ; ''skicinuwatuwewakon'' or ''skicinuwi-latuwewakon'') is an endangered Algonquian language spoken by the Wolastoqey and Passamaquoddy peoples along both sides of the border between Maine ...

References

External links

Linguist List entry for Etchemin

OLAC resources in and about the Etchemin language
{{Languages of the United States Eastern Algonquian languages Indigenous languages of the North American eastern woodlands Languages of the United States Extinct languages of North America Languages attested from the 17th century 17th-century establishments in the Thirteen Colonies Languages extinct in the 17th century 17th-century disestablishments in the Thirteen Colonies Indigenous languages of North America