The People and Their Homeland

Native tribal groups identify themselves, and are identified by historians and anthropologists, based on their shared language, traditional homeland, and life-ways. As you can see from the map, many tribal groups, including the Pennacook, lived in this area before the settler colonists arrived in 1620.

One translation of the name "Pennacook" comes from the Abenaki word Benokoiak, which means “Falling Hill People," which refers to the steep banks along the Merrimack River.