Jack Weatherford Quote
Bear Indian names such as Yukon, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan in the north, and Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arizona in the south. Often these names reflect the tribal names of the people who lived in an area. Such names might be a tribe’s own name for itself, or it might be the name given them by a neighboring group. We have states named for the Dakota, the Kansa, the Massachuset, the Illini, and the Utes. Some are names that describe the land or the water. Iowa is a Siouan word for beautiful land, Wyoming derives from the Algonquian for a large prairie, Michigan is Ojibwa for great water, and Minnesota is Siouan for waters that reflect the sky. The original meanings are often rather straightforward, but translators and local boosters have usually worked to derive the most poetic name possible. Nebraska means flat or broad river in the Omaha language; this makes it similar in meaning but not pronunciation to the Algonquian term for long river that eventually became Connecticut. Ohio means good river in Iroquoian languages, and Oregon means beautiful water in Algonquian. Kentucky has one of the more mysterious meanings: dark and bloody ground.
Bear Indian names such as Yukon, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan in the north, and Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, and Arizona in the south. Often these names reflect the tribal names of the people who lived in an area. Such names might be a tribe’s own name for itself, or it might be the name given them by a neighboring group. We have states named for the Dakota, the Kansa, the Massachuset, the Illini, and the Utes. Some are names that describe the land or the water. Iowa is a Siouan word for beautiful land, Wyoming derives from the Algonquian for a large prairie, Michigan is Ojibwa for great water, and Minnesota is Siouan for waters that reflect the sky. The original meanings are often rather straightforward, but translators and local boosters have usually worked to derive the most poetic name possible. Nebraska means flat or broad river in the Omaha language; this makes it similar in meaning but not pronunciation to the Algonquian term for long river that eventually became Connecticut. Ohio means good river in Iroquoian languages, and Oregon means beautiful water in Algonquian. Kentucky has one of the more mysterious meanings: dark and bloody ground.
Related Quotes
Certainly we can say that the pace of modern life, increased and supported by our technology in general and our personal electronics in particular, has resulted in a short attention span and an addict...
About Jack Weatherford
His books in the late 20th century on the influence of Native American cultures have been translated into numerous languages. In addition to publishing chapters and reviews in academic books and journals, Weatherford has published numerous articles in national newspapers to popularize his historic and anthropological coverage of Native American cultures, as well as the American political culture in Congress in the 20th century. In recent years, he has concentrated on the Mongols by looking at their impact since the time that Genghis Khan united the Mongol tribes in 1206.