Indians and Other Misnomers of the Upper Great Lakes E-Book

Phil Bellfy

• Herausgeber: Modern History Press
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

No less than 27 out of the 50 states' names in the USA are based in American Indian languages. Additionally, six out of 13 of Canada's provinces and territories have names with indigenous origins, and, of course, Canada itself is derived from an indigenous source. Shakespeare quipped, "What's in a name?" A lot, it turns out, because states like California and Florida reflect their Spanish history; here, in the Great Lakes, that history is indigenous. If you have an understanding of the name of a place, its history may reveal itself. And that history will, most likely, enrich your own life and your place in it.
Join us on this journey through Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota as we alphabetically traverse indigenous place names in each locale. Alternately, you can peruse an alphabetical concordance of every place name. In the appendices, you'll discover details of US and Canadian treaties with indigenous people, and many that are still under dispute today--including the Anishinaabek, Ottawa, Chippewa, Potawatomi, Miami, Kickapoo, Sauk, Sioux, Ojibway, Mississauga, Mohawk, Algonquin, Iroquois, Huron, and related First Nations bands in Ontario.
"Emeritus Professor Phil Bellfy has used his life-long Indigenous knowledge to produce this imaginative, original work that will be indispensable to any researcher working on Indigenous studies in the Great Lakes watershed. Indians and Other Misnomers of the Upper Great Lakest will be in the forefront of changing the way in which Indigenous knowledge shapes the hitherto colonial narrative of the Great Lakes." David T. McNab, professor emeritus, York University, Toronto, Ontario.
"Indians and Other Misnomers of the Upper Great Lakest is a fascinating exploration of the Indigenous origins of many place names bordering the Great Lakes. This book offers readers the opportunity to contemplate their place within the landscape of the Indigenous homelands now claimed by the Canadian and American settler states. It is a must-own companion book for researchers, residents and anyone interested in the places, history and linguistic heritages of the Great Lakes." --Karl Hele, Anishinaabeg and the Davidson Chair in Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University
"Words carry meaning and history. In Indians and Other Misnomers of the Upper Great Lakest, Dr. Phil Bellfy takes us on an etymological journey around the Great Lakes region as he explains the possible origins and meanings of Native American place names. This book helps paint a relational picture of the cultural world of the Anishinaabe Three Fires Confederacy of Ojibway, Odawa, and Potawatomi and how that view has been impacted by settler colonialism." -- Dr. Martin Reinhardt, Anishinaabe Ojibway citizen of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians; professor of Native American Studies, Northern Michigan University, president of the Michigan Indian Education Council.

Leseprobe

Indians and Other Misnomers of the Upper Great Lakes: The True Indigenous Origins of Geographic Place Names.

Copyright © 2023 by Phil Bellfy. All Rights Reserved.

This book contains images and materials protected under International and Federal US Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the express written permission from the author.

Cover photo copyright by Phil Bellfy.

ISBN 978-1-61599-742-8 paperback

ISBN 978-1-61599-743-5 hardcover

ISBN 978-1-61599-744-2 eBook

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Contents

Introduction

Geographic Scope of this Volume

State and Provincial Maps

Place Names by State and Province

Michigan Place Names

Ontario Place Names

Pennsylvania Place Names

Ohio Place Names

Indiana Place Names

Illinois Place Names

Wisconsin Place Names

Minnesota Place Names

Alphabetical Listing of Indian Names

U.S. Treaties

Canadian Treaties

References

About the Author

Introduction

The United States of America contains 50 states, and 27 state names are rooted in American Indian languages. The modern nation of Canada consists of ten provinces and three territories: four of the provinces and two of the territories are names with indigenous origins, and, of course, Canada itself is derived from an indigenous source. In this volume, only Pennsylvania is from a non-native source.

So, What’s in a Name? California and Florida (and others) reflect their Spanish history; here in the Great Lakes, that history is indigenous. If you have an understanding of the name of a place, its history may reveal itself.

And that history will, most likely, enrich your own life and your place in it.

This book’s subtitle claims that the book contains the “true” indigenous meaning of Great Lakes’ place names, but the reader should consider this—many of the place names were first recorded by Europeans during a time when Indigenous linguistics, and even spelling conventions, were in their infancy (at best). Consider that the Michigan village of Topinabee is named after a Potawatomie chief, whose name was spelled 12 different ways in 11 treaties, and, not one of those treaties spelled it the way the current village name is spelled!

And, as should be obvious, various spellings lead to various pronunciations, and, in turn, those various pronunciations may very well refer to indigenous words with different meanings. Indigenous languages of this hemisphere were not written languages; ours were and are oral traditions.

So, the reader will undoubtedly find entries that appear to be duplicates or entries of the same word with different meanings. That is because the author relies on different print sources and merely repeats what those sources contain. At the same time, the author made inquiries in every Indigenous community covered in this volume. Of course, many did not respond, but every Indigenous response is included. Again, these responses may not be the same as those in books cited in the References section of this volume.

Furthermore, in today’s internet world, you can find any number of sites that purport to give you the translation of Native-based place names. I have included some of these, but not if they differ appreciably from the References sources, believing that the older the source, the more authentic the meaning—the True Indigenous Origins claimed in this book’s subtitle.

I need to add a little about the US Royce maps in this book, and the list of land cession treaties. Just as it is vital to understand a place through an examination of its name, you cannot come to a true understanding of a place without a thorough understanding of the treaties through which those territories became part of the modern government states of which they are now an integral part.

As you can see in the “US Treaties” section of this book, the very first treaty signed by the US and Indigenous people was for the land cession of western Pennsylvania. Obviously, the eastern part of the state and, indeed, the entire colonial part of what is now the United States, had been taken over by the US before the treaty-making period; in this volume, starting in 1784 and ending in 1889.

In Canada, the first Ontario cession was signed in 1783; the last in 1930. Note that the Canadian list in this volume is not in chronological order, instead following the alphabetic order of the cessions as given by the Ontario government, creators of this volume’s map.

It should also be noted that both in the US and in Canada, many land cession treaties are subject to ongoing interpretation, and, in many cases, litigation. In most of British Columbia, for example, land cession treaties are still being negotiated. The first modern British Columbia treaty, the Nisga'a Treaty, came into effect in 2000, and only three have been added since then (in 2009, 2011 and 2016).

Compared to Latin, considered to be a “dead” language, indigenous treaties (with both US and Canada) are very much living documents, and the names of places in both countries are alive, as well, subject to a more accurate naming and meaning. Miigwetch (thank you) for your interest in this subject and in this book. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did creating it!

P.C.B.

Geographic Scope of this Volume

State and Provincial Maps

Royce Map of Michigan – West

Royce Map of Michigan – East

Map of Western Ontario

Map of Eastern Ontario

Royce Map of Pennsylvania – West

Royce Map of Pennsylvania – East

Royce Map of Ohio

Royce Map of Indiana

Royce Map of Illinois – 1

Royce Map of Illinois – 2

Royce Map of Wisconsin

Royce Map of Minnesota

Royce Map of Michigan – West

Royce Map of Michigan – East

Michigan Place Names

Michigan - most often translated as Big Lake; as in Michi (big) and Gammi (lake); or Mishi-gummeeng: Great Body of Water; other translations found were Majigan: Clearing, Majiigan: Large Clearing, and Mishi-maikin: Swimming Turtle. Used as a place name throughout the Midwest.

Ahmeek: Beaver

Alcona: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Allegan: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Alpena: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, possibly meant to refer to the Partridge

Arenac: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft

Bawating: River Beaten to a Spray, or Gathering Place of the People; orig. name for Sault Ste. Marie

Bay Mills Indian Community: aka Ginozhaekaunning: Pike Place. Michigan reservation.

Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians: State-recognized Tribe

Cheboygan: Pipe, or Funnel; or from Shabwawagoning: Rumbling Waters, or Waters Disappearing Underground

Chesaning: At the Big Rock

Chippewa, tribal name with various meanings; those found in reference to place names; Gathering Up Voice, Voice Gathered Up, or Puckered Voice see Ojibway for a complete discussion

Cohoctah: Many Trees in the Water

Detroit; orig. Wawiyatanong: Where the River Turns, or Crooked Way; Yondotiga: Great Village; or Karontaen: Coast of the Straits

Dowagiac: Subsistance Area, or Fishing Waters

Escanaba: Flat Rock. Or Land of the Red Buck

Genesee: Beautiful Valley

Gogebic: Green Lake, High Lake, On the Rock, or Trembling Ground

Grand River Band of Ottawa Indians: State-recognized Tribe

Grand Sable Dunes; orig. Nigowidjiw: Sand Mountain

Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians: Reservation

Gun Lake: Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians: Bad Bird; (aka Gun Lake Tribe); Reservation

Hannahville Potawatomi Indian Community: Reservation

Hiawatha: River Maker

Iosco: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, possibly meant to refer to Shining Water, or Water of Light

Ishpeming: High Place

Juniata (Twp): Standing Rock

Kalamazoo, of Native origin, with several possible translations: It Smokes, Smoke, or Otter's Water; or from Kekekalakalamazoo: Where the Water Boils (or Smokes) in the Pot; or from Negikanamazo: Otter Tail, or Beautiful Water, Boiling Water, or Stones Like Otters; or from Kikalamozo: He Is Inconvienced By Smoke In His Lodge

Kalkaska: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, possibly meant to refer to Burned-Over Land

Kawkawlin: Pike Place

Kenockee: Long-legged

Keweenaw (Bay Indian Community): Cross A Point, or Portage; MI Reservation

Lac Vieux Desert (Band of Lake Superior Chippewa): Lake of the Old Garden Clearing; Reser-vation

Leelanau: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, possibly meant to refer to Delight of Life. There is no “L” sound in the Ojibway language.

Lenawee: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, possibly meant to refer to “Man.” There is no “L” sound in the Ojibway language.

Les Chenaux; orig; Anaminang: In the Bowels (a reference to the channels' tortuous intricacy)

Little River Band of Ottawa Indians: MI Reservation

Little Traverse Bay Band of Odawa Indians: MI Reservation

Mackinac (also spelled, and pronounced, Mackinaw): from Michilimackinak; Large Turtle Island, or Place of the Great Turtle.

Mackinac Bands of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians: State-recognized Tribe

Manistee (and Manistique): Crooked River, Red River, Wind Sound, Lost River, Wood's Spirit, or Yellow Thunder

Manitou: Spirit

Match-e-be-nash-she-wish Band of Potawatomi Indians: Bad Bird; aka Gun Lake Tribe; Reservation

Meauwataka: Halfway (between two bodies of water)

Mecosta: Bear Cub

Menominee: Wild Rice People

Michigamme: Great Water

Missaukee: At the Big Outlet

Munising: Island in the Lake

Munuscong: Place of the Reeds

Muskegon: Swampy, or Marshy River; or from Maskegowok: Swamp People

Nahma: Sturgeon

Naubinway: Place of Echoes

Neahtawanta: Placid Waters

Neebish (Island): Leaf

Negaunee: He Walks Ahead (ie. the pioneer)

Nottawa: the Iroquois

Nottawaseppi Huron Band Potawatomi: Like Rattlesnakes; Reservation

Nunda: Where the Valley Meets the Hill

Ogemaw: Chief

Okemos: Secondary Chief, or Little Chief

Onaway: Awake

Onekama: Singing Water

Ontonagon: Place Where Game Was Shot By Luck

Osceola: Black Drink Hallower

Oscoda County: given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, possibly meant to refer to a Rocky Prairie

Oshtemo: Headwaters

Ossineke: Where the Pictographs Were

Otsego: Place of the Rock

Ottawa: To Trade

Painted Rocks: Mazinaubikaung

Petoskey: Where the Sun Shines Through the Clouds

Pinconning: Potato Place

Pokagon (Band of Potawatomi Indians): Something Used to Shield; Reservation

Ponshewaing: Peaceful Waters, or Winter Home

Pontiac: from Bonitiyak: Stops By Use of A Stick

Quinnesec: from Pekwenesseg: Where the River Forms A Spray

Saginaw (Chippewa Indian Tribe): Place of the Sac Tribe; Reservation

Sagola: “Welcome”

Sandusky: Water

Saranac: Sumac Cone River

Saugatuck: Tidal Outlet

Sault Ste. Marie (Tribe of Chippewa Indians);): Reservation

Sault Ste. Marie: orig. Baweting: Place of the Rapids; Gathering Place of the People

Sebewa: Little Creek

Sebewaing: River Place

Shiawassee: Straight Ahead Water; or from Azhaowesse: River That Twists About

St. Clair (Lake) : orig. Wauwi-autinoong: Round Lake

Superior (Lake): orig. Kitchi-gummeng: Great Lake (of the Ojibway)

Swan Creek Black River Confederated Ojibwa Tribes of Michigan: State-recognized Tribe

Tahquamenon: Shallow Bed River, or Dark-colored Water

Tecumseh: Panther Crouching For Its Prey

Tekonsha: Resembling a Caribou

Tittabawassee: River Following the Line of the Lakeshore

Topinabee: He Who Sits Quietly; notable 19th c. Potawatomi chief who signed many treaties Tuscola: County given “Indian-sounding” name by Indian Agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, possibly meant to refer to a Warrior Prairie, or Level Lands

Unadilla: Meeting Place

Waishkey: Buffalo (U.P. river)

Washtenaw: On the River, or Far Off

Waucedah: Talking Stream

Wequetonsing: At the Head of the Little Bay

Winona: First-Born Daughter

Wyandotte: Islanders, or Peninsula Dwellers

Wyoming: At the Big River Flat

Yuma: Sons of the River

Zeba: from Zibii: River

Indians fishing in the rapids, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. Courtesy Library of Congress

Map of Western Ontario

Map of Eastern Ontario