just wondering

[Nebe]

Does anyone here know what the American Indian name is for Striped Bass?
Weakfish is Squeteague, Blackfish is Totaug.... I wonder how the striped bass name became lost over the years... There has to be an indian name for bass dont you think?

[striprman]

From the book "The Striped Bass" by Nick Karas:

The aboriginies of New England had their own name for the striped bass, missuckeke according to a book by minister Roger Williams, A Key into the Language of America; or, a Help to the Language of the Natives in part of America called New England.

[striprman]

Natick Dictionary

60: missuckeke (missuckekequock) striped bass miss-suck great black one

Roger Williams 1643

180: Missuckeke/ Missuckekequock Bass (missi- great suck- black)

[striprman]

Fish accounted for the most plentiful of the wild species recovered. The Manamet area of Sandwich was always considered to be an excellent fishing river. As early as 1622, Edward Winslow described the river as "It will bear a boat of eight or ten tons...This river yieldeth thus high, oysters, muscles, clams...and great abundance at all times; besides it aboundeth with divers sorts of fresh fish in their seasons." (Winslow 621: 306). This view of the plenty of the river was supported in 1853 by William Russell who stated that

"The river still holds its claim to be called 'provision rivulet'; and in the

summer season yields, in abundance, the bass (two species), bluefish,

scapaug, tautaug, besides five species of edible shellfish,-oysters, quahogs,

clams, winkles, and mussels. In the winter, besides the various of shell-fish,

we have the trout, frost fish (tomcod), and a rich, and literally enough,

and inexhaustible bed of eels. They form a continuous bed, occupying not

only the bottom (mouth) of the river, but nearly the whole extent of the

marshes." (Russell 1853: 150 ).

Bass (freshwater, striped and rock), called Missuckeke/ Missuckekequock (the great black ones), were considered one of the best eating fish by the colonists in the seventeenth century. These fish were and are very common on the south and east shores of Cape Cod and grow to a length of up to six feet (Bigelow 1953:389). They commonly occur in mixed waters such as that which would have been present at the mouth of the Manamet River up to the 1920s when the Cape Cod Canal destroyed so much of the riverine environment. In these waters they spawn from May to November and were so plentiful that Thomas Morton once commented that "At the turning of the tide I have seen so many go out of a river that I thought I could cross over them dry shod." (Morton 1972: 87).

[striprman]

The largest striped bass recorded was caught in Edenton, North Carolina in 1891, weighed an amazing 125 pounds (without the head) and is estimated to have been six feet long.
The native Americans of Massachusetts and Narragansett nations knew the species as "Missuckeke-kequock". Nicknames have included "squid-hound", "greenhead", and the more popular "rockfish".

[ThrowingTimber]

Damn nice striper man!

[Nebe]

Striperman, how did you do that?

thank you.. this has been bothering me for some time.

So its looking like bass was known as missuckekequock...

and bluefish were called scapaug..

very interesting, thanks for the research striperman

[JohnR]

"Missuckeke" They were very futuristic in their naming. How could they have possibly known that when I set up on a fish and miss I'd say it sucks


"Missuckeke-kequock". So what fish is the creek where Don's shop is located name after ? Wequetquock ?

[striprman]

A scupaug is a scup. I'll have to do more research about the indian name for bluefish. That may be a little more difficult.. hmmm

[striprman]

Wequetequock Westerly Place at the end of the tidal stream; as far as the tidal stream goes

http://www.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/IndianPlaceNames.html

[striprman]

I think the indians called the bluefish bastageague but I may be wrong

[Mike P]

Originally posted by striprman
I think the indians called the bluefish bastageague but I may be wrong

Yup. I'm part Algonquin---you hit it right on the nose

[NilsC]

WOW, great. Thanks for the names and the info. I was wondering what Wequetequock was.

"bastageague" I knew there was a reason for me not liking blooooofish

Nils

[beachwalker]

New found respect Striprman

Very interesting, informative and generous information.

Thank you


and you too Eben for asking a great question

[missing link]

I thought it was kemosabi ( tonto ) for short later link sr

[Striperknight]

menhaden itself comes from the Indian name - - munnawhatteaug

[Nebe]

Originally posted by beachwalker
New found respect Striprman

Very interesting, informative and generous information.

Thank you


and you too Eben for asking a great question

New found respect for me I thought we were tight like snoop schnizzle in da hizzle dog.

[striprman]

110: osacontuck- fat sweet fish bluefish (osque (256) fat wekon (331) sweet ahtuk hunted one)

[striprman]

http://plymoutharch.tripod.com/parp/id78.html