Ela'la-wi'kek-had'imuk means "Place where they made markings"
• Also called Wanagames'wak Eda' la-wikhegee'dit "Where rock fairies lived in ledges, only a few inches tall and made little teapots and made markings. Mischievous, not malicious likened to Shakespeare's Puck
• First word: plural word for fairy
• Edala: "there is" or "the place where"
• awikhe'gan: anything written or painted
• Named after ledges in the Hampden Narrows
Main Street, Bangor, circa 1920
Bangor
Wassam'ki-he'muk means "White sand place"
• A huge drift of glacial gravel followed the shore from railroad st almost to Hampden line, left a sandy beach
Orono
Was first called Nalum-sunk-hungan means "alewife fishery below the outlet"
• First word stands for alewife
• Last word means fishing place
• Sunk means outlet
Later called O'ro-no
• Named for Chief Joseph Orono
Camden
Mad-a-kam-ig-os'sek "ridge high lands"
• kamighe means high land (mighe = land, ka = bigness, height)
• mag means big
Augusta
Cushnoc, old name for August
• Definite meanings uncertian, but a town in Mass is called Acushnet means "the head of the tide"
Gardiner, circa 1914
Gardiner
Cobossecontee
• Comes from "kabasseh" = la sturgeon
• "kantti" = abundance
• Refers to habit of sturgeon leaping out of water
• Name now applied to a stream near Gardiner
Portland
Machegony or Machegonne
• Believed to be micmac "shaped like a great knee"
• "Chegon" means knee
• "Chegun" means elbow
Past Names of Towns with Native Origins
Table of Contents
Hampden
Ela'la-wi'kek-had'imuk means "Place where they made markings"• Also called Wanagames'wak Eda' la-wikhegee'dit "Where rock fairies lived in ledges, only a few inches tall and made little teapots and made markings. Mischievous, not malicious likened to Shakespeare's Puck
• First word: plural word for fairy
• Edala: "there is" or "the place where"
• awikhe'gan: anything written or painted
• Named after ledges in the Hampden Narrows
• A huge drift of glacial gravel followed the shore from railroad st almost to Hampden line, left a sandy beach
Orono
Was first called Nalum-sunk-hungan means "alewife fishery below the outlet"• First word stands for alewife
• Last word means fishing place
• Sunk means outlet
Later called O'ro-no
• Named for Chief Joseph Orono
Camden
Mad-a-kam-ig-os'sek "ridge high lands"• kamighe means high land (mighe = land, ka = bigness, height)
• mag means big
Augusta
Cushnoc, old name for August• Definite meanings uncertian, but a town in Mass is called Acushnet means "the head of the tide"
Gardiner
Cobossecontee• Comes from "kabasseh" = la sturgeon
• "kantti" = abundance
• Refers to habit of sturgeon leaping out of water
• Name now applied to a stream near Gardiner
Portland
Machegony or Machegonne• Believed to be micmac "shaped like a great knee"
• "Chegon" means knee
• "Chegun" means elbow