Page:American Anthropologist NS vol. 1.djvu/198

 tooker] THE TERM "POQUOSIN" 169

and perpetuated in local speech, to have been an error in some way for "back water," which carries out the idea embodied in its Indian name. In 1703 a doubt arose as to its exact location, so a committee " of adged and chief Indians," of Tisbury, was ap- pointed " to show the place that is called Weechproquassett creek or water on the bounds between the lands called Chickammo and the Sachemship of Takemmy." This committee decided " that the brook of water that runneth into the Sound being to the east- ward of Onkkokemmo pond is the only ancient place called Weech- proquassett and the true line." This is earlier confirmed by the grant of " Tisbury Manor," dated July 5, 1771, where " a brooke called Eackpoo-quas-sitt " is described as the westerly bounds of Chikkemoo. 1 The prefix fcA- f ftc/i-, Eac/i-, or WeecA-, as vari- ously written, is the Massachuset (Eliot) Weekqs or Wehqs, or to the end of the opening out."
 * as far as," the " edge," " brim," — hence, as a whole, " as far as,

At the southeastern part of the town of Barrington, Rhode Island, is a neck of land now called Rumstock, but known to the Indians as Cliachapacassett. The eastern side of the neck borders on Warren river, and has a wide margin of meadow, salt-grass, and thatch. In addition, about one-fourth of the area of the neck was subject to overflow at spring tides, and is of a marshy and boggy character. Chacha-pacassett {=K ' chc-pacassett) was there- fore "at the great widening" of Warren river.*

Among the corrupt forms of apparently no connection with the subject term of this paper at first glance, are Sowassett, Long island, and Poughkeepsie, on the Hudson.

B. F. Thompson, the historian, wrote of the former * : " The Indian name of Port Jefferson, L. I., was Sowassett, and the cove between it and Setaukett was Poquott." After considerable inquiry as well as personal search, Thompson is the earliest

1 Advance notes from a prospective History of Martha s Vineyard, by Chas. E. Banks, M. D. t U. S. Marine Hosp., Washington, D. C.

1 Proceedings of the iV. Y. Historical Society, 1845, p. 131.
 * See Bicknell, History of Barrington, Rhode Island, 1898, pp. 11, 32, 36, 280.

�� �