To put a finer point on it, according to Allen W. Trelease, in Indian
Affiars in Colonial America, the 17th Century (Lincoln, U. of Nebraska
Press, 1997) - Sinnekins was an Anglicized form of a Dutch enunciation of
the Mohegan rendering of an Iroquoisan term for the Oneida. Whew; that term
sure travaled linguistically.

David

>Sinnikens, or any of the variations thereof in the mss is
>not a Dutch word. Rather it represents the Dutch use of one
>of the Iroquois tribal names to designate all Iroquois
>tribes west of the Mohawks, i.e., Oneida, Cayuga, Onnandaga,
>and, of course, the Seneca.
>
>Charles Gehring
>New Netherland Project
>
>On Sun, 6 Sep 1998, David Minor wrote:
>
>> I've been told that the non-Clsasical origin of the tribal designation
>> "Seneca" was a Dutch word "sinniker" (variant spelling very possible, I
>> heard the explanation orally) referring to "people west of the Mohawks").
>> Can anyone on the list provide the correct spelling and translation of the
>> Dutch word?
>>
>> TIA for any help,
>> David Minor
>>
>> David Minor
>> Eagles Byte Historical Research
>> Rochester, New York
>> 716 264-0423
>> [log in to unmask]
>>
>> http://home.eznet.net/~dminor
>>


David Minor
Eagles Byte Historical Research
Pittsford, New York
716 264-0423
[log in to unmask]


http://home.eznet.net/~dminor

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