Alderney late 300s, at above the island's only natural harbour. The etymology of the island's name is obscure. It is known in Latin as "Riduna" but as with the names of all the Channel Islands in the Roman period there is a degree of confusion. "Riduna" may be the original name of Tatihou, while Alderney is conjectured to be identified with "Sarnia". "Alderney"/"Aurigny" is variously supposed to be a Germanic or Celtic name. It may be a corruption of "Adreni" or "Alrene", which is probably derived from an Old Norse word meaning "island near the coast". Alternatively it may derive from
Mackinac Island, Michigan island. To commemorate this tribe, the Ottawa and Chippewa (Ojibwe) named the island as "Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong," also known as "Michilimackinac" by the 18th century. In 1654 Jesuit missionaries recorded French traders at the island, who were with a large party of Huron and Ottawa heading to Three Rivers. Another trader was said to have made a canoe voyage to the island in 1665. The French colonists continued in the fur trade, which became extremely lucrative; they operated out of Montreal and established posts on "Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong" and throughout the Great Lakes area. After the French ceded their territory in North America to