The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-29
LOS NOMENCLATURE
HIS GREATEST GIFT
Names He Gave Places VIII
Make Him Remembered
HIS LEGENDS PRESERVED
There Are Thousands of Towns in the
United States That Bear the
Red Mans Euphonious
Applications.

APpSlidtloIS'
Kansas City. Mo.--The commission ap-
pointed by the government to translate
into concise, correct English all Indian
names found in the geography of the
United States has on its hands Job OF
great magnitude, as may be eompre-
hended when it is considered that more
than 5000 names. now fixed to various
points between Maine and California ana
the Canadian line and the Rio Grande'
commemorate the fact that the red man
once was the sole possessor. of the land
The names of his chiefs and of his tribes
are forever fixed in memory. Indian tradl-
lions are perpetuated and musical Indian
words have been Incorporated into our
tongue, a legacy of poetry and romance
even In this practical age.
Every name the Indian gave meant
something. He left to his pale faced
brother the absurdities of prefxing to 2IOO
towns and settlements the stale descrlp-
tive terms, east. west, north, south he
left to the white man the confusion OF
thirty-three Springfelds in one union, not
a fifth of which were ever built In
field or by spring; of Pinevilles without
n pine. Oakdales without an oak, Wey-
mouths and Plymouths that are not at the
mouth of the Wey, the Plym or any other
river; of Mount Vernons twenty-five
strong. many of them without even MI
to their credit. and of 100 New Havens'
New Yorks, Newtowns and New every
thing else. all of which have long since
ceased to be new.
Indian Names Mean Something.
Not so with the Indian. He pitched his
wigwam beside the stream. Through the
curling waters the long, dark stones on
the rivers bed looked like offers at play
and forthwith the camping place received
the name 1t bears today-kalamazoo-
"Stone-lixe offers" in the Indian tongue.
Again he saw on a river bank pine tree
wreathed in flames: for hours 1t threw its
torchlike glare over the landscape, as
would have beamed the glow OF some
council fire fed by attendant warriors,
and Potomac that region became, literal
translation of which is the place OF the
burning pine that resembles council
fire" Poughkeepsie is "a safe harbor for
small boats" Norridgewock, 1.-The place of
deer" Ontario, "the village on the noun
tain" Saranac, 1.-The river that flows un-
der rock" and Saratoga, the place OF the
miraculous waters In a rock
Similarly. Schenectady is the river val
lev beyond the pine trees" Schoharie is
'the tributary that throws its waters
strong over and across the main stream"
the wabash is "a cloud blown forward by
an eauinoctal wind" Monongahela is the
falling-in bank river" Rappahannock the
river of duick-rising water" and Toronto,
''oak trees rising from the lake. SUCH
words show wondrous skill In the art OF
word painting, and their expressive Indian
tongue reflects their Impressions with
vivid minuteness impossible to more cum
bersome English.
Poetic and Otherwise.
There is no commonplace in Indian
names All of the Indians terms are pic
turesque because they are alive ana
full of meaning to him. thousand ex-
amples could be given. Once before the
white mans day, a caving in of river
bank revealed the huge fossil tusk of some
prehistoric monster. At once the river re-
.ceived the name Chemung Big HornO
and generations of squaws told to genera
lions of pappooses the traditions of the
been found there.
In 1915 a portion of Maine was visited
by a devastating fire. The Indians at once
gave the region the name of Schoodic, the
great burnt lands" perpetuating forever
the memory of the terrible disaster ORR
noco is cooling snake possibly a reter-
ence to the crooked course of the stream.
but more probably marking the notable
killing of some venomouS reptile.
Sometimes II was the physical features
that were names reflected. Thus: We
tumpka is "tumbling waters" Sandusky,
the cold spring" Katahdin, the highest
place." Tioga, the swift current" Mag
ara, the meek OF water" Nahant Is at
the point" Passumpsic is much clear
water" and Chautauqua Is the "foggy
place" Sometimes the Indians names re-
Elected his superstitions. Thus Manitou Is
spirit" Montauk is "a manitou or spirit
tree" and Minnewaukon means the
devils lake" Sometimes his names cele-
brate his hunting or fishing exploits
Mackinaw is an abbreviation of longer
word meaning 1.-THE great turtle place
Quinsigamond means tine nsnins place
for pickerel."
There are several Ammons. which. as
the government has a peculiar penchant
for looping off the terminative syllables
of Indian words may not unreasonably be
taken to represent Ammonoosus. an ex-
pressive Indian word. meaning fish story
river" proof positive that the red
man as we'll as his successors was given
to telling tall stories about his luck in
fishing.
Expressions of Hate.
Even the Indian hates and hereditary
feuds find expressions In names. The mem
bers of certain Indian tribe despised
for their peacefulness were in contemptu-
Gus parlance Ottawas. TRADERS" while a
fiercely fighting tribe were admiringly
termed Fries or wild cats" by their enc
miles, Iowas is a corruption OF de-
rislve word signifying "drowsy or sleepy
ones" term given by the warlike Sioux
of the north to his quieter red brethren
of the plains. The scornful Iroquois called
each Algonquin OF the New York noun
tains an Adirondack signifying The
eats bark" The latter retorted by dub
bling each Iroquois a Mohawk" or man
eater" a grim testimonial In its way to
the fierce and relentless Iroquois charac-
ter.
The family of the Sioux. the famous
fighters of the northwest. divided as they
were into eight great branches or sub
tribes gave to themselves the comprehen-
sive name OF Dakotas, "allied together in
friendly compact" but their Indian foe
men called them by the bitter term Of
Sioux, "cutthroats."
The Indian was a born story-teller.