The Androscoggin (Ammoscongon) were an Abenaki people from what are now the U.S. states of Maine and New Hampshire. By the 18th century, they were absorbed by neighboring tribes.
The name of the Androscoggin is derived from an anglicization of the Abenaki-language term Ammoscongon, which was the name given for the portion of the Androscoggin river from Lewiston Falls northward, as stated by Pere Pole in 1793.[1]
The Ammoscongon once lived in the Androscoggin River watershed, located in present-day southern Maine and northern New Hampshire. Their main village was located in the vicinity of present-day Lewiston, Maine. Together with the Pigwacket near Fryeburg, Maine they formed the southernmost of the Abenaki tribes and were therefore one of the first in contact with the English colonists of New England.
In 1675, the Androscoggin took part in King Philip's War. The renowned hunter, trapper, fisherman and guide, Metallak (1727-1847), was a member of the Androscoggin tribe.
In 1725, the Androscoggin joined the Pequawket and migrated to the Connecticut River in New Hampshire. They later migrated north to Canada, where they settled in Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec, present day Abenaki First Nations of Odanak.[2]
Maps showing the approximate locations of areas occupied by members of the Wabanaki Confederacy (from north to south):