The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-12-14
Indian Names.

In some instances it is q special matter
of regret that the Indian names of places
and States no longer suggest their orig
inal meaning. This was occasionally
simple enough, as in Connecticut-orig-
iually written Quonaughtieot - which
meant in the Mohegsn dialect "long
river" and in Massachusetts-in the
Matte dialect MISUNDERSTANDING the
place of great hills" with reference to
the Blue Hills, eleven miles to the south
west of Boston, the highest point of land
in the eastern part of that State. OF
cities thus designated Mil,oaukie recalls
its original name, meaning " rich lands"
and Sing Sing, the Algonquin word
Asinsing, ga place of stones" with all
the greater forces, as it is now "the resi-
dence of gentlemen" in Artemus Wards
language, "who spend their days in
poundin' stun" Other names, however,
have more or less picturesqueness in their
meaning, and are not so easily improved
sents In its French pronunciation very
fairly the actual sounds heard by the
first French explorers, when the Potawa-
tonnes, who dwelt there, called it Shecdu-
90, playful waters" u Dahlonega is
the softened form of tho Tdlduneca of the
Cherokees, which meant "yellow metal"
for the Indians were we'll aware of the
gold found in the neighborhood, which
made the city in later years the seat of
Government mint, because of its happy
position in the very centre of the gold
mine district of Northern Georgia.
Lake Erie is almost the only remainder
now of the once powerful tribe of Fries,
| who lived where the Stats of Ohio now
is; the latter name, as given to the river,
owes its origin to the Iroquois, who
called it the Oheo, beautiful water" by
the same instructive admiration which
prompted the French to name it La
Belle Riviere. 1t had lucky escape
from Father Marquette's baptism, who
christened it Ouaboukigon--a name
which subsequently shrunk into Qua
bache, and has finally as Wabash been
given to the last tributary of the Ohio.
1t is curious that kind of stigma seems
to adhere to the name, for even now the
good people of Indiana and the West
generally are fond of saying of q man
who has been cheated, that he has been
Wd6aShed." At one time, when the
dark and bloody ground" of Kentucky
and Ohio became famous among the
whites, the Indians also felt inclined to
call their beautiful river rather the
Blood River, so fearful had been the
scenes of carnage and cruelty enacted on
its fair banks. One of the youngest
| States, Idaho, we'll deserves its poetical
name, l-da-hoe, the "gem OF the mount
aims" and the name Of the river Monon-
gahela flows as smoothly from the lips
with its liquid notes as the far-famed
rye whiskey distilled on its banks, which
is known all over the Union by the same
term, in contra-distinction from Scotch
and Irish rivals. On the other hand,
the much-discussed name of the greatest
waterfall on our continent has been
stripped of all the poetical meanings
given it by writers whose imagination
exceeded their knowledge. Neagara, the
original word, taken from the Seneca
Iroquois dialect, has no connection with
cataraets, but means prosaically, " across
the neck" alluding to the course of the
river across the neck or strip of land that
lies between Lakes Erie and Ontario. A
similar idea underlies the word Mitchikan
in the Ottawa dialect, which was origin
ally given to Mackinac, and meant
fences" as if the island were lying
fence-like before the Upper Lake. At
least so says Rev. Mr.. Pierz, missionary
among the Ottawas; but Allouez. his
French predecessor, calls it, few years
before, Adchihi9aning the present word,
Michigan, is evidently an Improvement
upon both the former names.-American-
isms, 6y Rec. SeheIe DE Vere, Ill. ID.