Auburn in Androscoggin County, Maine — The American Northeast (New England)

Amitgonpontook

Auburn, Maine

— The Museum in the Streets —

Amitgonpontook Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 11, 2021

1. Amitgonpontook Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Before it was L-A, this place was Amitgonpontook, which means "the place to dry the fish at the falls." For generations Wabanakis harvested migrating fish each spring. In 1794 Perepol described how travel made this place a part of Wabanaki's homelands. Wabanakis began at Merrymeeting Bay, called Quabacook—which means "the place for hunting ducks." Then they fished the falls at Pejepscot (today's Brunswick) and Amitgonpontook. In Canton was Rockamecook—"the good ground"—where they planted corn, beans, and squash. These and other names show how Wabanakis use their homeland to sustain themselves spiritually and materially. Even when Auburn and Lewiston became industrial towns, Wabanakis continued to return here for new jobs and other resources. Colonization has changed landscapes and names, but Wabanakis remain.

Ce terme signifie "l'endroit des chutes où faire sécher le poisson". Depuis toujours, au printemps, les Wabanaquis y pêchent les poissons qui remonendroit, occupé de façon cyclique par les Wabanaquis, fait partie de leur territoire. Leur itinéraire débute à Merrymeeting Bay ou Quabacook, "lieu de la chasse aux canards"; Ils viennent ensuite pêcher aux chutes de Pejepscot (Brunswick aujourd'hui); puis ici, à Amigtonpontook. À Canton, ils cultivent maïs, haricot et courges à Rockamecook, "la bonne terre". Ces noms parmi tant d'autres montrent comment les Wabanaquis se nourrissent, corps et esprit, sur leur territoire. Avec l'industrialisation, les Wabanaquis y reviennent chercher de nouveaux emplois ou poursuivre leurs activités traditionnelles. La colonisation a pu modifier les noms et les paysages mais les Wabanaquis restent bien présents.

Erected 2019

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

by The Museum in the Streets. (Marker Number A15.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the The Museum in the Streets: Auburn-Lewiston, Maine series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1794.

Location. 44° 5.898′ N, 70° 13.432′ W. Marker is in Auburn, Maine, in Androscoggin County. It is on Auburn Riverwalk 0.1 miles north of Court Street (U.S. 202), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10 Great Falls Plaza, Auburn ME 04210, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Northeast

and in New England.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Maine's Loss of Farmland & Rise of Small Farms (a few steps from this marker); Great Falls Geology / La Géologie des Grandes Chutes (within

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), November 11, 2021

2. Amitgonpontook Marker

shouting distance of this marker); Auburn, Maine (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Hydroelectric Power / L'Énergie Hydraulique (about 400 feet away); Auburn L.L. Bean Store / Le Magasin L.L. Bean À Auburn (about 400 feet away); Auburn's Agriculture, Forestry and Resource Protection Zone (about 600 feet away); Vietnam Wall (about 600 feet away); Vietnam War (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Auburn.

Additional keywords. Lewiston-Auburn

Credits. This page was last revised on March 6, 2024. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 940 times since then and 63 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 16, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.