n.
or Abnaki
Confederacy of Algonquian -speaking North American Indian peoples living mostly in Quebec, Can.
, and Maine, U.S. The contemporary Abenaki consider their home territory to be southern Quebec and the U.S. states of Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as parts of Maine and New York. Their name means "people of the dawn" or "easterners." The name is applied to a number of groups
including Androscoggin, Kennebec, Maliseet, Ouarastegouiak, Passamaquoddy, Patsuiket, Penobscot, Pigwacket, Micmac, Pennacook, Rocameca, Sokoni, and Wewenoc
who formed the Abenaki confederation in order to resist the Iroquois Confederacy , especially the Mohawk. In the 17th century the Abenaki sided with the French against the English, but, after severe defeats, they withdrew to Canada, many eventually settling at Saint-François-du-Lac and Becancour, near Trois-Rivières, in Quebec. There are also reservations in Maine and in New Brunswick, Can. The total population of Abenaki is about 12,000.