Long before the Charter of Maryland was signed in 1632, the Chesapeake Bay region was a densely populated network of indigenous nations. Because “Maryland” is a colonial name honoring Queen Henrietta Maria, there was no single Native American word for the entire state. Instead, the land was defined by the Chesapeake—the “Great Shellfish Bay”—and the diverse peoples who lived along its eastern and western shores.
The Chesapeake: “The Great Shellfish Bay”
The defining feature of Maryland’s geography is the Chesapeake Bay. The name itself is derived from the Algonquian word Chesepiooc, which most historians translate as “Great Shellfish Bay” or “At a Great River.”…..