Native American Placenames

[LordVetinari]

To: Khruschev (NPC)
From: Russia

Secret
1) You can call yourself anything you want, so long as it's not vulgar or unstatesmanly.

2) Done.

To Russia
From Khruschev (NPC)
Agreeable...deal.

 

[Cuāuhtemōc]

In upstate NY, you would be surprised to find thousands of native place names. Oswego!

 

[Emperor Norton I]

In upstate NY, you would be surprised to find thousands of native place names. Oswego!

As a resident, correct, particularly Iroquois.
Also a lot of Greco-Roman names if I can throw that out there (Syracuse, Ithaca, etc).

 

[benjamin]

Being from Pennsylvania as well my favorite word is Susquehanna. I don't know why, it just has a certain ring to it. And Chemung, in south central NY, makes me giggle.

I think one of the best ways to have more Indian place names is to have more Native nations develop their own written language which could then be translated back into English. There is a certain power in the written word. It would has have given the Indians a greater understanding of the concept of contract and treaty law. This would help immeasurably as the US began to break the first set of treaties.

Chautauqua is a cool name too.

Benjamin

 

[MadMc]

All over Michigan there are towns wiith Native American names. also Chicago is the native american name as well.

 

[john]

Long Island has tons, and a lot are named for the original 13 tribes present, although some have altered spellings and such;

Wantagh, Shinnecock, Massapequa, Montauk, Setauket, Patchogue, Matinecock, Sagaponack, Amagansett, Nissequogue etc.
My faves are Quogue and Speonk

 

[Lord Grattan]

All over Michigan there are towns with Native American names. also Chicago is the native american name as well.

Indeed; towns and rivers all over the state bear their Potawatomi, Ojibwe or Odawa given names (or an English equivelant). Additionally, there are several towns and counties in the state that are named for Native Americans. (I'll gloss over the county names invented by Henry Schoolcraft by using parts of Native American words.)

 

[pa_dutch]

Being from Pennsylvania as well my favorite word is Susquehanna. I don't know why, it just has a certain ring to it. And Chemung, in south central NY, makes me giggle.

I'm from PA, too... I love the names around here. Cocalico, Conowingo, Conshokocken, Tulpehocken, Tinicum, Aronimink, Salunga, Secane, Wissahickon, Wyomissing, Hokendaqua, Manayunk, Passayunk, Lehigh... Those are just the ones I can remember. I have a book called "Indian Place Names of Pennsylvania" that actually catalogs them all. The Lenape language is very appealing.

I think in the eastern US states, native names are much closer to what they would've been without European influence, due to the smaller initial population of whites. But as you get farther west, names become more and more of a mishmash, with Cherokee place names in traditionally Shoshone lands, etc etc. I think you can draw a direct connection between that and the natives being pushed steadily westward and jumbled together, far from their native lands.

Oregon, for example, is believed to come from a Sioux word, 'ourigan', meaning 'big rivers'. (I'll have to double-check that to see if I remember right ) The Sioux, obviously, didn't live in the Pacific Northwest.

Then we have Wyoming, which is another Lenape word from Pennsylvania.

My favorite Native American place name is Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg in Connecticut, though. Also, Montauk in New York.