Paging Gazhekwe

[gazhekwe]

Most tribe names will translate that way. Remember, the name word is translated into English words. People, or human beings are the English words used to describe all similar beings. That is really apples and oranges, because tribe names are not referring to all people, just the particular people in the tribe. Similar translations applied to Scandinavia might look like this: Scandinavia = Human Beings. Sami=Human Beings. Finland=The People, Sweden=People, and so on.

Anishinaabe, for instance, is translated as The People but the root word is Nishin, which translates to Good. The whole word is closer to Good Beings. That shows the world view that all creatures are beings, with no special distinction for humans. Note these are "good beings," not the best or only beings.

Diné, the name used by the Navajo for themselves, is usually translated Human Beings.

Navajo is the Pueblo name for the people, referring to their farming.

In the past several years, many US tribes are changing from the names others gave them to the names they used for themselves.

Examples:
Ojibwe, Odawa, Potawatomi - Anishinaabe
Winnebago - Ho Chunk
Pima - Tohono O'odham

Sorry for the essay, but there are no simple answers.

[MIRepublic]

This really could have been done through a private message, and the question didn't even make sense [[i.e. "one of the tribe names" of who?)

[sumas]

I, for one, enjoyed your essay. Just out of curiosity, the Fox Tribe, as in the Fox Creek massacre are called Sauk. Is Sauk the true tribe name? Does Sauk mean Fox?

[Johnlodge]

This really could have been done through a private message, and the question didn't even make sense [[i.e. "one of the tribe names" of who?)

What are you, the post police?

1) This is the connect section of the board, and a question like that between users is exactly why this section is here.

2) The question made perfect sense. Maybe it didn't make sense to you because he wasn't asking you, hence "Paging Gazhekwe". But I'm sure your input was highly appreciated.

[Honky Tonk]

This really could have been done through a private message, and the question didn't even make sense [[i.e. "one of the tribe names" of who?)

No offense man, but I for one am glad the OP posted their question publicly and Gazhekwe took the time to answer. It's an interesting lesson.