Native American Words in Modern American English

Thanksgiving is a time to honor friends, family and neighbors, and to give thanks to all the goodness that life has endowed upon us.  The story of the first American Thanksgiving often reminds people of when the Pilgrims first landed on Plymouth Rock, and embraced a new land, life and experiences.  American history classes explain the event as a monumental period when the settlers arrive to a new land to begin their new life free from the tyranny of the Old Country. The new settlers did encounter a new life in the new world, where they lived and interacted with the indigenous people of America – the Native Americans.

The English colonists encountered new tools, practices and clothing from their interaction with the locals.  There are many plants and animals indigenous to North America that are not found in Europe, thus leading to the adoption of many of the local terms from the Native American languages. 

Some words derived or borrowed from Native American languages include:

• Animal names - moose, skunk, chipmunk, raccoon, opossum, and terrapin 
• Housing - wigwam, tepee, hogan, wikiup, kiva. 
• Wampum - a type of beads used as currency
• Powwow  - generally used to describe Native American social gatherings
• Moccasins - soft leather shoes, ie. the proverb "Don't judge a man until you've walked a mile in his moccasins."
• Tomahawk - A small hand-axe used as a weapon
• Succotash - A stew of corn, fish, and beans, or a simple combination of corn and lima beans.

The names of many places, lakes and rivers throughout North America are derived from the languages of the people who knew those places first:

• Massachusetts, Kansas Dakota and Omaha are derived from the names of Native American groups
• Oklahoma means "red people" in Choctaw
• Minnesota means "sky-blue waters" in Dakota 
• The Mississippi River's name means "great river" in Ojibwa
• Ontario comes from the Huron word for “beautiful lake”
• Ottawa comes from the Algonquin word for “to buy”
• Penticton comes from the Okanagan word for “place to stay forever”
• Quebec comes from the Algonquin word describing “narrow passage or strait”
• Saskatchewan comes from the Cree word meaning “swift flowing river”
• Saskatoon comes from the Cree meaning “berry fruit”
• Toronto comes from the Huron word meaning “place of meeting”
• Winnipeg comes from the Cree word meaning “dirty or murky water”
• Canada comes from the Wendat Huron word meaning “village” or “settlement”
• Coquitlam comes from the Salish word describing “small red salmon” or “place of stinking fish”
• Iqaluit comes from the Inuktituk word meaning “fish”
• Kelowna comes from the Okanagan word meaning “grizzly bear”
• Klondike River comes from the Han word describing “hammer used to fix fishing nets”
• Manitoulin Island comes from the Ojibwe word meaning “spirit island”

There are approximately 300 known indigenous languages North America. Sadly, many are either extinct or becoming extinct in today’s society.

As said by Noam Chomsky in the PBS independent documentary film produced by Anne Makepeace - We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân:

"A language is not just words. It's a culture, a tradition, a unification of a community, a whole history that creates what a community is. It's all embodied in a language."

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