This month, the words I have selected all have their origins in the languages of Indigenous North Americans.

Over the years they have been appropriated and added to French, English, Spanish, and Portuguese languages.

These words are important because they are a link to the languages spoken by our Indigenous populations.

Many of these languages are in danger of extinction if they are not protected and taught in Indigenous communities. For many years, the government tried to force Indigenous Peoples to learn and speak English to assimilate into our society and be considered “Americans.” It’s important that we understand and acknowledge the many words we use each day and where they originated.

The Eskimo Aleut language family: The Eskimo languages are comprised of the Yupik and Inuit language groups. Yupik languages are primarily spoken in Southwestern Alaska and the easternmost parts of Siberia. The Inuit languages are primarily spoken in Northern Alaska, the upper reaches of Canada around the Hudson Bay, and Greenland.

The word, Eskimo, did not come from the Aleut language. It’s an Innu-aimun word from the Algonquin language. It’s an Eastern Canadian Indigenous term for “one who laces snowshoes.” It is an exonym – a word taken from another people than the one it describes. Because it wasn’t the chosen word to describe these people, many feel it is inappropriate. Other members of this Indigenous community refer to themselves as Eskimo.

Words from the Eskimo-Aleut language family:

Igloo

Kayak

Malamute

Chimo – a catch-all greeting similar to saying cheers

The Algonquin Language Family – Ottawa (Ottowa) and Ojibwa, Potawatomi and Powhatan, Massachusetts and Mi’kmaq, Cheyenne (Cheyanne) and Cree. Speakers of these languages were among the first Indigenous populations to meet and interact with European settlers and French traders. Many place names were taken from the Algonquin languages.

Words from the Algonquin Languages:

Mississippi – an Ojibwa word for “great river.”

Michigan - an Ojibwa word for “great sea.”

Chicago – from the Miami-Illinois word, Shikaakwa, the name for a wild leek grown in that area. The Miami-Illinois language is now extinct, but the  Miami tribe of Oklahoma is trying to revive it.

Miami and Illinois are Indigenous words to describe the peoples who lived in the Great Lakes region.

Tomahawk

Totem

Caucus

Pecan

Squash

Hickory

Toboggan

Moccasin

Wigwam

Succotash

Wigwam

The Uto-Aztecan Languages Family – Nahuatl has been spoken in Mesoamerica since about the 7th century. Most Nahuatl words came to the English language from Spanish.

Nahuatl Words:

Avocado

Guacamole

Mole (sauce)

Jicama

Tomato

Chocolate

Chia

Chipotle

Mesquite

Chilis

Tamales

Ocelot

Coyote

Quetzal – colored birds

Aztec Words:

Peyote

Shack

Atlatl – a spear-thrower, a spear-throwing lever that uses leverage to achieve greater velocity in dart or javelin throwing so the object goes farther and faster.

Sources for this article:

https://www.daytranslations.com/blog/indigenous-words-english/#:~:text=the%20dirty%20water.-,',wigwam%20and%20powwow%20are%20examples.

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/563419/native-american-names-used-in-english