Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-02-24
ORIGIN OF DAKOTA.


ORIGIN OF DAKOTA.
a Question Settled In tho C0ntro-
versy-ssey. j. p. Williamson Con-
tributes his Testimony.
Within a few weeks past there has
been an animated discussion in the
newspapers relative to the origin of the
word Dakota, which has finally crystal
lized itself into the following generally
accepted Interpretation of tine term:
A statement is floating around in
eastern newspapers that the word Da.
kota means cut throat, and that the Da.
kota Indians indicate their tribe by
drawing the palm of their hand across
their throat. The attention oil Fred
Glrard, who forty years ago became .
trader with the Sioux Indians, and who
has resided with them ever since. being
called to the paragraph, he has spent
some time investigating the origin of
the word, and finds it an a~bbreviation of
the word Pa-ho-oota, meaning "many
heads" or plenty" Lacota meal tho
same thing. and is in use among the
women of Rthe Sioux tribes generally,
but particularly by the Ogalalias. Mr..
Girard ssys Minnesota mean "Plenty
of water" instead of muddy water"
as generally supposed. The Gut Head
band of Sioux use the sign of drawing
the open hand across the throat to in
dictate their particular band, and finally
their sign came in general use to desig-
nate the Sioux Indians.
We have had something more than q
suspicion sthat the foregoing Settle
ment' of tho question involved q serious
error, and now m Rev. John P. Will
liameon, of Yankton agency, in confirma-
ton of that suspicion. He has spent the
best years of his life ss a missionary
teacher among the Sioux, has made the
study of their language q specially and
is the author of Sioux dictionary Just
issued from the press of the Iapi Oaye,at
Yankton agency. No ordinary linguist
can go behind his conclusions.
In a letter to the Press and Dakotaian,
Mr.. Williamson says, relative to the
TO regoing newspaper extract:
My attention has been called to the
above OF linguistic confusion. 1t is
not strange that 'somebody'-perhaps
1t was the honorable senator from Mis-
souri,, should start the report that Da-
kota meant ''cut throat" but I can
hardly believe that such q well known in
terpreter as MI. Girard should add to
the confusion by saying it meant "many-
heads or plenty"
The derivation Of proper namesi is
often obscure, but happily for future
historians the title of our coming state
is derived from no obsolete tongue, and
all intelligent Dakotas will give but an
answer as to the meaning Of the word,
and that is that it means "Friends" or
"Allies." The Dakota nation is the
Nation of Friends, and the State of Da-
kota Will doubtless honor the name, aud
be a STATE OF FRIENDS, and not a estate
Of C%ut-throats.
As to "Lakota," the women use that
form no more than the men. ALI the
Teton or Western Sioux, use / entirely
for d., hence Lakotn for Dakota.
AS to Minnesota,sit means neither
plenty of water" nor muddy water
Minnesota might mean ''plenty of
water" and Minneshoshe 1.-THE Dakota
name for the Missouri riverl means
muddy water"
Minnesota is harder to define, not be.
cause it has not a well-known, definite
meaning in the Dakota tongue, bat be-
cause of the want of any equivalent
word in the English language. For a
full discussion of the meaning of the
word see "Neills History of Minnesota
page 81. [ should translate Minnesota,
"Eazy-Water."
JOHN P. WILLIAMSON.