The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1872-01-05
INDIAN NAMES.

In some instances it is a special mat
ter OF regret that the Indian names oI
places and States no longer suggest
their original meaning. This was oc-
casionally simple enough, as in Con-
necticut = originally written Quo
ndughtieOt-which meant in the No.
hogan dialect "long river" and in
Massachusetts-in the Matte dialect
Nasasuset-signifying "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 the State
OF cities thus designated Mlioa,itie
recalls its original name, meaning
"rich lands," and Sing Sing, the Al
gonquin word Asinsing, "a place of
Stones" with all the greater force, as
it is now "the residence of gentle
men," in Artemus Wards language,
"who spent their days in poun ain
stun Other names, however, have
more or less picturesqueness in their
meaning, and are not SO easily i'm
proved by recent changes. Thus
Chicago represents in its French PRO
nuncia,ion very fairly the actual sounds
heard by the first French explorers,
when the Potawatomies, who dwelt
there, called it Sdseaugo, ''playtul wa
ters.' (?) Dahlonega is the softened
form of the TaLdgneea of the Chero
KEGS, which meant "yellow meta" for
the Indians were well aware OF the
gold found in the neighborhood, which
made the city in after years the seat
OF Government mint, because of its
position in the very centre of the gold
mine district of Northern Georgia
Lake Erie is almost the only remain
der OF the once powerful tribe of
Fries, who lived where the State OF
Ohio now is 4; the latter name, as CIV
en- to the river, owes its origin to the
Iroquois, who called it the Oheo,
"beautiful water" by the name in
stinctive admiration which prompted
the French to name it La Belle Riv-
iere. 1t had a lucky escape from
Father Marquette's baptism, who
christened it Ouaboukigoa--a name
which subsequently shrunk into Qua
bache, and has finally as Wabash been
given to the last tributary of the Ohio.
It 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 a man who has been cheated, that
che has been Wabashsd." At one
a.be 'dark and bloody
time, when tS0AaO Ohio be-
ground" of Kentucky ana t.c
came famous among the whites, lnO|
Indians also felt inclined to call their
beautiful river the Blood River, SO
fearful had been the scenes or car
mage aud cruelty enacted on its fair
backs. One of the youngest States,
Idaho, will deserves its poehcal name,
I-da-hoe. the 'gem Of the mountains"
and the name of the river AonOHgG-
hela 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 eontra-distinction
from Scotch and Irish rivals. On the
other hand, the uch-discussed name
of the greatest waterfall on our conti-
nent has been stripped of all the poet
cal meanings given it by writers
whose imagination exceeded their
Nsagara, the original
word, taken from the original Seneca
Iroquois dialect, has no connection
With cataracts, but means prosaically,
across the neck,' alluding to the
course of the river across the neck or
trip of land that lies between Lakes
erie and Ontario. A similar idea un-
lerlies the word NitcAikan in the
ottawa dialect, which was originally
,iven to Mack;nac, and meant STEM
es,' as if the island were lying fence
Ike before the Upper Lake. At least
o says Rev. Mr. Pierz. a missionary
moDg the Ottawas but Allouez, his
'rench predecessor, calls it a few
ears before, MGehigansag; the pres
mt word, Michigan, is evidently an
ON both the former
ames.-Amerieanisnas,6y by Rso. Schels
De Vere, III. ID.