Names and Naming
At a glance:
- Series: American Indians Ready Reference
- Categories: Social Science
- Subcategories: Native Americans, American Indians, Ceremonies, Rites, Rituals
- Curriculum: American Indian History
- Geographical Location: Canada, United States
Article abstract: Indian names were often descriptive of a person’s unique trait or of a significant action or event in his or her life
At the time of first contact with Europeans, North American Indians generally used a single name for an individual, rather than attaching a surname as was the European fashion. Indian names were often descriptive of some action or trait or of some occurrence in the life of the bearer. The translations were deemed “colorful” by Europeans, although mistranslations were common, such as the case in which a name meaning “Young...
[The entire page is 672 words long]
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