BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 13, 2025
I was recently corrected when referring to Katahdin. Saying “Mount Katahdin” is technically redundant, since the direct translation from the Penobscot language means “the greatest mountain. That small correction — and my curiosity — sent me down a rabbit hole of researching other landscape names in Maine and discovering the funny or interesting translations they carry. In recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ Day on Monday, I’ve put together a chart of some notable landscape features in Maine — mountains, rivers, streams and other well-known places — whose names come from the languages of tribes in Maine.