Timeline Early 16th century • Basque fishermen began to visit North American coasts frequently. This allowed them to establish relationships with Indigenous Tribes in the area. Some of these groups included the
Montagnais, Mi’kmaq, St. Lawrence Iroquoians and
Inuit. • Early 17th century sources suggest that these interactions involved some form of pidgin language based on Basque, used by European traders to communicate with Indigenous peoples. • The Algonquian-Basque pidgin, a simplified language which incorporates Basque vocabulary, was used among Basque traders and Indigenous communities. This was most seen along the
North American coast.
Mid 17th century • The Basque influence remained significant at least until the mid 17th century, without any confirmed evidence of a
French pidgin prior to that period. • Contact between Indigenous peoples and Basque fishermen was still ongoing. There was documented evidence of a Basque-derived trade language being in use, especially along the
St. Lawrence River and in
Newfoundland and Labrador regions. • Some Basque words were eventually borrowed into
Mi'kmaq, which are still in use today, reflecting the linguistic influence of Basque. == Vocabulary ==