Katahdin

“Katahdin, photographed from the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument” by MajorRogers. is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Katahdin Woods and Water National Monument was established in 2016 by President Obama, and encompasses 87,500 acres in Penobscot County, Maine. In August 2024, eight years after its designation, the Friends of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument held a “first look” special event at the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station or visitor center. The Penobscot placename, Tekαkαpimək, which has been loosely translated as: ‘as far as one can see,” was bestowed upon the Monument by the National Park Service. 

The insets in the map below show the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument and the Contact Station, which is approximately 15 miles east of Katahdin.

NPS Park Map, created 5/23/2024.

Gated Road Access to Tekαkαpimək Contact Station. Photo Credit: Jason Pardilla, Penobscot Artist, Carpenter, Fisherman, and Photographer/Videographer.

Translation Issues

I admire the collaborative efforts to acknowledge the ancestral lands of my people, and to choose a name for the contact station that embodies the significance and proximity of Katahdin. However, there are issues with using the phrase: Tekαkαpimək as a placename for the Monument. To start, the English translation is insufficient in that it uses the pronoun “one” which is absent in Wabanaki languages. Of course, translations are approximate, yet it must be said that this simple translation violates the pronoun usage rules of Wabanaki languages. Moreover, this loose translation speaks to a vague distance that an observer can see. Unfortunately, that phrase is incomplete without a specific reference to a distant object. In other words, this phrase is missing an endpoint, as denoted by the “k” ending in the phrase, Tekαkαpimək.

So, why wouldn’t the obvious reference to an object or endpoint be made to the “greatest mountain?” Katahdin stands in plain view from the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station. Using an incomplete phrase, in effect, inadvertently omits that endpoint. Moreover, that omission diminishes the cultural and spiritual significance of Katahdin. Furthermore, that omission ignores the mystique of the legendary Pamola, for whom there was great reverence and trepidation by Penobscots who traveled in the vicinity of the “greatest mountain.” Penobscot oral tradition about Pamola and his temperament, and the physical mountain where he lived are linked and together are why this was known as the “greatest mountain.”

The Penobscot placename for the Monument could be more culturally appropriate by adding Katahdin. Tekαkαpimək Ktàtəne would be a complete phrase, using proper Penobscot language grammar.

Let’s examine the translation and grammar further. First, let’s search for the phrase, Tekαkαpimək, and related words in the online Penobscot dictionary. One of the elements (morphemes) of the phrase, Tekαkαpimək, is tekaki-, which translates to “as far as, to such a point.” Here is a link to that phrase and translation: https://penobscot-dictionary.appspot.com/entry/5752934881034240/. Let’s look at another related phrase, tekákαpo, which translates to “he sees that far, to that extent.” These phrases are used to indicate a particular length or distance, and in relation to a person or thing. Again, in the phrase: Tekαkαpimək, the ‘k‘ ending indicates a location or place, rather than an unspecified distance.

Given the location of the Katahdin Woods and Waters Monument and the view from the balcony of the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station (photo below), it is obvious that the implied object is Katahdin, or ktàtəne. A translation for ktàtəne can be found at this link: https://penobscot-dictionary.appspot.com/entry/6683493635457024/.

Photo Credit: Jason Pardilla, Penobscot Artist, Carpenter, Fisherman, and Photographer/Videographer.

A more relevant and complete phrase for the Monument placename should be written: Tekαkαpimək ktàtəne, which translates as ‘the great mountain is seen in the distance.’ This translation can be supported by linguistic analysis and corroborated by physical observation from the Tekαkαpimək Contact Station.

Related Wabanaki dialects and language resources corroborate this more complete phrase and translation. My preference is the Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) language and the linguistic resources available online, particularly the Passamaquoddy-Maliseet Portal (https://pmportal.org/, P-M Portal). This is a comprehensive and well designed resource. The P-M Portal features the Newell-Hale writing system and an excellent searchable dictionary (Passamaquoddy to English, and vice versa).

A search of the English phrase: ‘stands at a distance‘ in the P-M portal yields the Passamaquoddy phrases: tokkikapuwu, or tokkikapuhu. (https://pmportal.org/dictionary/tokkikapuwu-tokkikapuhu) Taking into account the difference in writing systems and slight variation between Penobscot and Passamaquoddy dialects, the similarity with the Penobscot phrase: Tekαkαpimək to the Passamaquoddy phrase: tokkikapuhu is apparent. An alternate translation for the Penobscot phrase could be ‘it stands in the distance.’ That makes sense, as the implied object in the distance is Katahdin. In the Passamaquoddy dialect, Katahdin is written: ‘ktoton’, https://pmportal.org/dictionary/ktoton. An alternate placename for the Monument in the Passamaquoddy dialect would be tokkikapuhu ktoton, ‘Katahdin stands in the distance.’

In summary, the given Penobscot placename of Tekαkαpimək for the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument is a truncated phrase. A more complete and proper phrase, Tekαkαpimək ktàtəne, would express the full Penobscot translation that ‘the great mountain is seen in the distance.’ That would fulfill the intentions of the National Park Service and Wabanaki informants to acknowledge ancestral Wabanaki homelands and to build a strategic partnership to protect and enhance the Monument for present and future generations.