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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1197 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 09:30 AM
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I was trying to think of all the names of places in the Rockies that are still identified by their aboriginal name and ones that have an aboriginal name that is not commonly used. There are a few that come to mind right away and ones that I've come across while while looking these up. Though I'm entirely sure of their exact meaning, as there seem to be a few definitions that come up through a google search.
I thought I would start a list. If you know of any, let me know and I'll add them to the list below. Personally, I think these names mean a lot more than those that just bare the name of some politician who never even frequented the area.
Akamina
Kootenai for "benchland" or "mountain pass"
Assiniboine
"stone boiler" or "those who cooks with stones." The name for the Stoney people, apparently derived from an Ojibwa word
Athabasca
"place where the reeds are" or "grass here and there" in Cree
Devil's Head
Possibly a translation from the Cree word "we-ti-kwos-ti-kwan" and/or the Stoney word "si-ham-pa." May also have been known as "Old Swan's Bill" from the Piikani Blackfoot name "omackcowatchemook"
Hungabee
Stoney for "chieftain."
Kananaskis
Named after a Cree man called "Kin-e-ah-kis." The name means "one who is grateful." During the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Jean Chrétien apparently caused some misinformation, suggesting that Kananaskis meant "meeting of waters." Stoney call Kananaskis "ozada" or "oz-ada imne" which means "Where rivers meet."
Kishinena
"balsam or white fir" in Kootenai
Kootenay
From the word K'tunaxa. May mean "people of the water" or "people from beyond the hills."
Lake Louise
Known to the Stoney as "Ho-run-num-nay" or "lake of little fishes"
Maccarib
Quinnipiac for "caribou"
Minnewanka
"lake of the water spirit" or "water of the spirits" in Stoney.
Mistaya
"much wind" in Stoney.
Mount Allen:
Stoney name for it is "Chase Tida Baha" which means "Burnt Timber Hill" or "Wataga ipa" which means "grizzly hill point"
Naiset
"sunset" in Stoney.
Nakiska
"Meeting Place" in Cree.
Narao
"to spatter or fly out" or "hit in the stomach" in Stoney. The latter may refer to James Hector being kicked by a horse while traveling up Kicking Horse River.
Neptuak
Derived from the word that means number 9 in Stoney.
Nihahi
"rocky" in Stoney.
Odaray
"very brushy or "windfall" in Stoney.
Oesa
"ice" in Stoney.
Saskatchewan
from Cree "kisiskaciwani-sipiy" which means "swift flowing river."
Skoki
"swamp" in Stoney.
Sunwapta
"turbulent river" in Stoney.
Takakkaw
"magnificient" or "splendid." I've found sources that reference this as a Cree word and some that say it's Stoney.
Tokumm
"fox" or "red fox" in Stoney.
Titkana
"bird" in Stoney.
Tonsa
Number 4 in Stoney.
Waka Nambe
Waka apparently means "Great Spirit" and Nambe means "Thumb" in Stoney.
Wapiti
Stoney for "elk."
Wapta
"River" in Stoney.
Wasatch or Wastach
This seems to be a familiar name in Utah , possibly meaning "mountain pass" or "low pass over a high mountain" in Ute.
Wasootch
From the word "wazi" meaning "unique" or "solitary" in Stoney.
Wenkchemna
"ten" in Stoney.
Wiwaxy
"windy" in Stoney.
Yamnuska(Îyâmnathka)
Although officially it's "Mount Laurie," few actually know it by that name. Many prefer the name Yamnuska, which is thought to mean "wall of stone" or "the flat-faced mountain" in Stoney. I've read that "eeam" means "mountain" and "naska" means flat in Stoney.
Yoho
"wow" or "wonder / awe" in Cree.
Yukness
Stoney word for "sharpened" |
Edited by - Marko on 05/09/2012 2:11 PM
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
797 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 10:47 AM
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Cool! Interesting stuff.
I find it a little strange that Tonsa actually means 4. I wonder if this was a recent naming of a peak using original language, as opposed to the Stoneys actually referring to it as Peak 4 back in the day. I can't see them referring to Valley of the 10 peaks as 1-10. Not very poetic! |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 10:49 AM
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Just a few that came straight to my mind:
Wenkchemna - means "ten" in Cree language.
Wiwaxy (windy) and Opabin in Lake O'Hara
Narao Peak
Maccarib Peak and Pass in Jasper - means "caribou"
Akamina Ridge and Akamina-Kishenena Park in Waterton
Yoho - "wow" in Cree if I'm not mistaken
Kootenay - named after an Aboriginal tribe
Titkana Peak in Mt. Robson Park
Wasootch Ridge and Tower in Kananaskis
Wastatch Peak and Pass |
Edited by - Engor on 05/03/2012 11:28 AM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 10:59 AM
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They sound neat to us, due to being in a different language, but some of them are pretty mundane. I'm not sure that calling a mountain 'nine' in another language is any more interesting than naming it for its shape.
And the popularity of Wapta in the area gives us the amusingly named river falls, river river, river glacier, etc. :)
I think my favourite are the ones that have a backstory (eg. kickinghorse) or are named after early people in the area. I'm not a fan of the 'random politician' style either. Nor the 'random battleship', come to think of it.
It was a white guy who came in and named the valley of the ten peaks according to the native numbers. And then other white guys who decided to name many of them individually.
Tokumm (as in Creek) means 'fox'.
Minnewanka has an interesting history.
There are some neat books on the history behind Rocky Mountain place names (including the native ones and other) if it interests you. |
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Lethbridge, Alberta
Canada
30 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 11:57 AM
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A couple more from Waterton (definitions from peakfinder.com)
Akamina: "high bench land."
Kishinena: "white fir" or "balsam." |
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Victoria, BC
Canada
427 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 1:05 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Rachelo
It was a white guysecond nations who came in and named the valley of the ten peaks according to the native numbers. And then other white guyssecond nations who decided to name many of them individually.
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1197 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 1:16 PM
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| I've added people's suggestions and tried to figure out the origin or other definitions. |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1197 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 1:18 PM
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Rachel, This was a "just for fun" kind of thing. I've seen some of these books and pulled some of the definitions from them, along with some other sources online. Gillean Daffern has probably done all this research already. :)
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Edited by - Marko on 05/03/2012 1:20 PM |
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High River, (just south of Calgary eh!), Alberta
Canada
1703 Posts |
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1197 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 1:53 PM
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| Clayon, Haha. I like "Mount Sharky-McToothy-Fin" better than something like "Lady Agatha Peak" |
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Edmonton, AB
89 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 4:35 PM
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Saskatchewan (Mountain, River and Glacier) Cree for "swift flowing river"
I like these names and also those that are based on local personalities (such as the peaks named after guides and climbers), and greatly prefer them to those named after WWI ships and British generals (which really seem out of place to me). |
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| Engor
Intermediate Member
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Calgary
840 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 6:49 PM
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| And I forgot to mention Mount Tecumseh near Crownest Pass named after a famous aboriginal military leader who was aligned with the British against the Americans in the war of 1812. However, he has nothing to do with the Rockies like any other military commanders, soldiers or politicians. |
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Edmonton, AB
89 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 9:42 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Engor
And I forgot to mention Mount Tecumseh near Crownest Pass named after a famous aboriginal military leader who was aligned with the British against the Americans in the war of 1812. However, he has nothing to do with the Rockies like any other military commanders, soldiers or politicians.
True, but at least there is a connection to Canada.
Here's another. Sunwapta. Falls, river and mountain. Stoney for turbulent water. |
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1078 Posts |
Posted - 05/03/2012 : 9:57 PM
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Takkakaw
There's a lot all over BC. |
Edited by - DCIPHER on 05/03/2012 10:01 PM |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 05/04/2012 : 08:19 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by HagensborgViking
quote:
Originally posted by Rachelo
It was a white guysecond nations who came in and named the valley of the ten peaks according to the native numbers. And then other white guyssecond nations who decided to name many of them individually.
heh.
quote:
Originally posted by Marko
Rachel, This was a "just for fun" kind of thing. I've seen some of these books and pulled some of the definitions from them, along with some other sources online. Gillean Daffern has probably done all this research already. :)
Sounds good. I figured I'd mention in case you hadn't run across them. |
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Red Deer, AB
Canada
45 Posts |
Posted - 05/05/2012 : 10:37 AM
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Abraham lake and mount abraham. Named after Silas Abraham of the Big Horn reserve.
This is a great post. Very interesting. I like reading about all the old explorers and settles that frequented the area way back. Coleman, Palliser, Ohara, Simpson, Wilson too name a few. |
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
112 Posts |
Posted - 05/06/2012 : 1:38 PM
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| Maybe off-topic, but is anyone else offended by the nickname of Squaw's Tit for the mountain by Harvey Heights? Unfortunately, once published in Alan Kane's Scrambles book it has stuck. I wrote a letter to the Treaty 7 tribal administration nearly four years ago now, asking for support to campaign for an official name to replace this nasty nickname - suggesting Yahe-Weha or mountain woman, but that was just as a starting point. Was hoping for the same outcome as occurred with renaming Ha Ling. While the letter was acknowledged, nothing ever came back. |
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1078 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2012 : 04:15 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Trail Talk
Maybe off-topic, but is anyone else offended by the nickname of Squaw's Tit for the mountain by Harvey Heights? Unfortunately, once published in Alan Kane's Scrambles book it has stuck. I wrote a letter to the Treaty 7 tribal administration nearly four years ago now, asking for support to campaign for an official name to replace this nasty nickname - suggesting Yahe-Weha or mountain woman, but that was just as a starting point. Was hoping for the same outcome as occurred with renaming Ha Ling. While the letter was acknowledged, nothing ever came back.
Yes, I am. While I find the name wonderfully visually descriptive (unlike so many other names in the Rockies), I find it embarrassing in many ways.
Ironic, that I wasn't particularly offended by Ha Ling, though probably anything done to redress the incredibly ugly, government encouraged and sanctioned, racism towards Asians of that era is a good thing.
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Calgary, Alberta
Canada
1197 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2012 : 08:29 AM
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I've added some of the new suggestions.
Trail Talk -
There's a long article on Wikipedia about the word "squaw" and what it may mean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squaw#Early_derogatory_uses). The word "tit" is probably offensive to some women. No doubt it's for this reason that this is an unofficial name. Some people refer to it as "ST." There's also Stoney Squaw Mountain next to the Norquay Ski Hill.
I like the sound of Yahe-Weha. Not too long ago the GMMC was successful in naming a peak. They went through this process:
http://culture.alberta.ca/heritage/resourcemanagement/archaeologyhistory/geographical/
There is a form at the bottom of that page. I think it'd be pretty easy to argue to give this feature an official name. The form requires five signatures from people in the area, which shouldn't be too difficult. This could easily make the news in the RM Outlook newspaper and you'd have thousands of signatures. |
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Edmonton, Alberta
Canada
112 Posts |
Posted - 05/07/2012 : 3:17 PM
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| Great thoughts Marko. Recruiting local support was the idea behind my initial appraoch to the band. Perhaps I should connect with the ACC head office in Canmore... |
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Calgary, Alberta
Andorra
3796 Posts |
Posted - 05/08/2012 : 1:16 PM
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I'm not offended. It would obviously not be named officially, but people who don't like it can always use another unofficial name.
I suspect you'd get mixed reactions out of Canmore. There was strong local resistance to changing Chinaman's Peak, including by the family of Mr. Ha Ling - though at least this one doesn't have to sort out which specific person it was named for.
It doesn't seem like the most notable feature to be given an official name, but it's not any worse than many of the other unremarkable named features.
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Aboriginal names for places in the Rockies
