Which spelling is correct, “Mohican” or “Mahican”?
Both spellings are acceptable. The Mohicans did not originally have a written language, so when Europeans wrote down Mohican words, they made up their own spellings. Some wrote “Mohican,” and others wrote “Mahican.” Both spellings are used today. Are the Mohicans and the Mohegans the same tribe, or two different ones? The Mohicans and Mohegans are two different tribes. “Mohican” sounds a lot like “Mohegan,” but that is because British colonists had trouble pronouncing the Mohican name for themselves, Muheconneok, and the Mohegan name for themselves, Mohiingan. Today, many people think that the Mohicans and Mohegans are the same tribe because of the famous book “Last of the Mohicans.” The author, James Fenimore Cooper, made some mistakes in that book. He gave several of his Mohican characters Mohegan names and placed their homeland in Mohegan territory. Because of this error, some people still call the Mohegans “Mohicans” today. The Mohegan tribes lived in Southern New England, particul
