This is an introductory study of the mutual intelligibility among the various dialects and languages in the Manitowinini family. Specific languages considered include Powhatan, Lenape, Natick, Otchipwe, and Nanticoke. The goal of the study is not merely to comprehend inter-tribal relations better, but also to discover the actual socio-political-ethnic status of peoples along the Atlantic Coast before 1700. The study is not a linguistic one designed to shed light on the technical aspects of the evolution of the Manitowinini languages. It is essentially a comparative analysis of the use of 135 words. Results indicate that the Manitowinini peoples from New England through North Carolina could communicate with each other without learning each other's idioms, at least as far as Powhatan, Lenape and Natick are concerned. (CLK)