Starna, of SUNY Oneonta, says the initial "ch" sound would be pronounced more like the German guttural "h" than an English "ch". Chingachgook is an Algonquian word meaning big (ching) snake (achgook); hence the references to the character in the book as The Great Serpent. References Literary characters introduced in 1823 Characters in American novels of the 19th century Drama film characters Fictional Native American people Fictional sole survivors Fictional tribal chiefs James Fenimore Cooper Male characters in literature