Algonquian LanguagesFrom The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia
Major group of American Indian languages originating from the northeast region of North America, south and east of Hudson Bay and along the northeast coast, and now spoken from Canada, across the USA, to Mexico. Algonquian includes over 30 languages, mostly divided into three classifications: Central, including dialects spoken by the Cree, Kickapoo, Chippewa, and Shawnee; Eastern, including the languages of the Micmac and Passamaquoddy; and Plains, containing the Arapaho, Blackfeet, and Cheyenne languages.