Level 1 PDF

1. The Wolastoqey Nation and Individuals

In this lesson, you will discover the main terms that express the connections between the Wolastoqey people and the land. You will learn to distinguish between the different terms used to describe the nation, the communities, and the people who are part of it.

1.1. Words of the Wolastoqey Nation

The river and the territory

Wolastoq – The river that flows through the ancestral territory of the Wolastoqey nation. This river has been designated on maps as the Saint John River or St. John’s River since the early 17th century following the first voyage of Samuel de Champlain to Acadia.
Wolastokuk – The ancestral territory of the Wolastoqey nation. This territory roughly encompasses the watersheds connected to the Wolastoq River and extends from the Saint Lawrence River to the Bay of Fundy, from north to south, and from around Matane to the Etchemin River near Lévis, from east to west. Wolastokuk extends beyond the borders of Quebec, New Brunswick, and the United States into the state of Maine

Nation and community

Wolastoqey – The Wolastoqey Nation.
Wolastoqiyik – The people, the individuals of the Wolastoqey nation. To simplify, it’s somewhat the plural form of the term Wolastoqey.
Wahsipekuk – The community, the only one located in Quebec.

Associated Territories: Ktopeqonuk, Kataskomiq, and Cacouna.

Ktopeqonuk – Traditional gathering place located in Cacouna, on the point of land next to the administrative offices. Site of powwow celebrations. Means a place where spring water flows.
Kataskomiq – Reserve land located on the outskirts of the municipality of Saint-Hubert-de-Rivière-du-Loup. Means desert or desolate place.
Cacouna – Reserve land enclave within the boundaries of the municipality of Cacouna. Traditionally frequented in the summer by the Wolastoqiyik people. The origin of this word is uncertain

Other communities of the nation and their names

Here is a map representing the ancestral territory and communities of the Wolastoqey Nation.

Adjectives related to the nation

Wolastoqey : in addition to referring to the nation, this term is also an adjective used to describe things related to the Wolastoqey people.
Examples:

• A wolastoqey basket / wolastoqey posonut
• A wolastoqey canoe / wolastoqey oqiton
• A wolastoqey song / wolastoqey lintuwakon

1.2. Individuals

Indigenous People

Here are some terms used in the wolastoqey language to refer to Indigenous individuals:
Skicin – an Indigenous person
Skicinuwok – Indigenous people (plural)
Waponahkew – A person belonging to one of the nations of the Wabanaki Confederacy, which includes the Wolastoqey, Mi’kmaq, Penawapskew (Penobscot), Abenaki (W8banaki), Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) nations (plural: waponahkiyik or ckwaponahkiyik)

Non-Indigenous People

Here are some terms used in the wolastoqey language to refer to non-Indigenous individuals:
Wenuhc – non-Indigenous person (white person)
Wapeyit - non-Indigenous person (white person, directly refers to the word «white»)
In the wolastoqey language, people are sometimes referred to based on their language of expression, skin color, or country of origin:
Ikolisoman – English (comes from the English term Englishman)
Polecomon – French (comes from the English term Frenchman)
Elisomen – Irish (comes from the English term Irishman)
Mokoseweyit – Black person (refers to the term «black»)

An individual, individuals of the Wolastoqey nation

Here are different ways to refer to one or more individuals of the Wolastoqey nation:

Dialogue example:
Question:  Kil Wolastoqew ? / Are you from the Wolastoqey nation?
Answer:    Aha, Nil Wolastoqew ! / Yes, I am from the Wolastoqey nation!
In this dialogue, that is to say for the question and for the answers, the words can be reversed.

2. Territory

	Ktahkomiq Territory or land
Kcihq Forest		Woc Mountain Sip River
Supeq Ocean Sonutamkiw Beach		Ponapsq (singular)  Ponapskul (plural) Rock(s)
		Wahsipekuk St. Lawrence River Wolastoq St. John River
Mip(iyil) () Leaf(ves) Opos(iyik) () Tree(s)		Kataskomiq Desert, isolated place
	Qocomok Outdoors