.jpg) This 1685 reprint of a 1656 map indicates "Wickquaskeck" in Westchester County above Manhattan island and "Manhattans" on it. | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| No longer a distinct tribe | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| New York | |
| Languages | |
| Munsee language | |
| Religion | |
| Indigenous religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| otherLenape tribes |
TheWecquaesgeek (alsoManhattoe andManhattan) were aMunsee-speaking band ofWappinger people who once lived along the east bank of theHudson River in the southwest of today'sWestchester County, New York,[1] and down into the Bronx.[2]
The Wecquaesgeek resided along the southeastern banks of the Hudson River and fished local streams and lakes with rods and nets.[3]
The Wecquaesgeek faced numerous conflicts withDutch andEnglish colonists. In 1609 twodugout canoes were sent from the Nipinichsen settlement to threatenHendrik Hudson's ship in on his return trip down the river.[4][5]
In the 1640s, the Wecquaesgeek settled theRaritan River andRaritan Bay after theSanhicans migrated west.[6] Once they settled there, colonists called them theRaritans.[6]
Like other Wappinger people, the Wecquaesgeek suffered losses inKieft's War betweenDutch colonists and Indigenous tribes.[7] Around half of the military-aged men remaining to the tribe died fighting on behalf of theAmerican Revolutionary Army, though none was granted citizenship after victory.[7]
Wicker's Creek in what is now calledDobbs Ferry was the last known residence of the tribe, which they occupied through the 17th century.[8]
The following settlements have been documented in historical accounts:[7]
The Weckquaesgeek territories were bordered by theSintsink to the north, below today'sOssining, and inland towardLong Island Sound to that of theSiwanoy, both related Wappinger bands.[1]
To the south their range included the western part of today'sBronx along the Hudson andHarlem Rivers,[2] and included the upper three-quarters ofManhattan island,[19][20] which they did not permanently occupy but used as a hunting ground.[21] Effectively it was their land that theCanarsee people of today'sBrooklyn, who only occupied the very southern end ofManhattan island, an area known as theManhattoes, sold to the Dutch.[21]
The Dutch ended up with the island, and the Wecquaesgeek being called the "Manhattoe" or "Manhattan" Indians.
Today'sBroadway follows one of their original trails, named "Wickquasgeck", after the "birch bark country" that lined it.[22][23][24]
As was common practice early in the days of European settlement of North America, a people came to be associated with a place, with its name displacing theirs among the settlers and those associated with them, such as explorers, mapmakers, trading company superiors who sponsored many of the early settlements, and officials in the settlers' mother country in Europe.
Numerous variants of are found on historical maps and in period documents. These include: Wiechquaeskeck, Wechquaesqueck, Weckquaesqueek, Weekquaesguk, Wickquasgeck, Wickquasgek, Wiequaeskeek, Wiequashook, and Wiquaeskec. The meaning of the name has variously been given as "the end of the marsh, swamp or wet meadow", "place of the bark kettle", and "birch bark country".[25][26][22][23]
Just as a name of one of their trails, theWickquasgeck, was given to the people so another conflation by white settlers further confounded their identity, when they were mistakenly referred to as theManhattoes after a place of that name on the southern tip ofManhattan Island.[27][28] Compounding this was that the Manhattoes was the only part of Manhattannot occupied by the Wecquasgeek;[19][29] it was a seasonal ground of theCanarsee,[21] aMetoac people who lived across theEast River in today's Brooklyn.
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{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)And what about a marker for the Wickquasgeck Trail, the Indian path that ran the length of the island, which the Dutch made into their main highway and the English renamed Broadway?