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List of place names in Canada of Indigenous origin

May 04, 2023

This list of place names in Canada of Indigenous origin contains Canadian places whose names originate from the words of the First Nations, Métis, or Inuit, collectively referred to as Indigenous Peoples. When possible, the original word or phrase used by Indigenous Peoples is included, along with its generally believed meaning. Names listed are only those used in English or French, as many places have alternate names in the local native languages, e.g. Alkali Lake, British Columbia is Esket in the Shuswap language; Lytton, British Columbia is Camchin in the Thompson language (often used in English however, as Kumsheen).

Canada

The name Canada comes from the word meaning "village" or "settlement" in the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian[1] language spoken by the inhabitants of Stadacona and the neighbouring region near present-day Quebec City in the 16th century.[2] Another contemporary meaning was "land."[3] Jacques Cartier was first to use the word "Canada" to refer not only to the village of Stadacona, but also to the neighbouring region and to the Saint-Lawrence River.

In other Iroquoian languages, the words for "town" or "village" are similar: the Mohawk use kaná:ta',[4][5] the Seneca iennekanandaa, and the Onondaga use ganataje.[6]

Provinces and territories

Provinces and territories whose official names are aboriginal in origin are Yukon, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Nunavut.

By province and territory

Alberta

  • Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation no. 437 (formerly "Indian Reserve") named after the Alexis family, prominent in the band
  • Amisk: "Beaver" in Cree.
  • Athabasca: "Where there are reeds" in Cree
  • Battle River translation of Cree place name. There were many fights in its area between Cree, Blackfoot and Nakoda.[9]
  • Bear Hills Lake translation of Cree place name.[9]
  • Bear Hill translation of Cree place name.[9]
  • Beaver Hills (includes today's Elk Island Park) translation of Cree, Blackfoot and Nakoda place names for the feature.[9] Cree name for area was amiskwaciy, Cree name for Edmonton House was amiskwaciwâskahikan (Beaver Mountain House,[10]
  • Blood Reserve 148 (formerly Indian reserve) Kinai First Nation, name roughly translated as Blood in the past
  • Bow River English translation of Blackfoot name for the river – Makhabn, "river where bow reeds grow" (Blackfoot), reeds there were good for making bows with which to shoot arrows.[11]
  • Bow Valley Natural Area (see Bow River)
  • Calgary roads (trails) named after Indigenous Nations and an element of Metis lifestyle—Stoney, Blackfoot, Metis, Shaganappi, Sarcee, and Peigan Trails are all named in honour of the first people on this continent, although the latter two have since changed their names. The Peigan are now known as the Piikani Nation and the Sarcee are now the Tsuut’ina Nation, but both street names remain.[12]
  • Chipewyan: "duck lake" (includes Fort Chipewyan)[13]
  • Cooking Lake is a translation of its Cree place name opi-mi-now-wa-sioo, indicating a cooking place.
  • Crowfoot Crossing—named after Crowfoot (Blackfoot name Sahpo Muxika) (born c. 1836; died April 24, 1890), chief of the Siksika First Nation and signatory of Treaty. He was instrumental during the Treaty 7 negotiations and acted as a representative of his people.[12]
  • Deerfoot Trail: after Deerfoot-Bad Meat, a Blackfoot man who was known around Calgary[14]
  • Edmonton wards (municipal election districts) all bear names of Indigenous origin, since 2020.[15]
  • Ermineskin Reserve 138 (formerly Indian reserve) owned by Ermineskin Cree Nation, one of the Four Nations of Maskwacis
  • Goosequill Lake translation of Cree word Manikwanan for the lake.[16]
  • Grand Forks: translation of Blackfoot name for the place
  • Grand Prairie: translation of Cree name "Big Prairie"
  • Ipiatik Lake.[17]
  • James Mowatt Trail. James Mowatt (Metis, born in St. Andrews, Manitoba) carried message from Edmonton to Calgary during 1885 Rebellion, asking for military assistance for Edmonton, which was thought to be under threat of Native uprising. He made the trip in only 36 hours, a record at that time. He later was a gold-rusher and then moved back to Manitoba.[18][19][20]
  • Kakisa River.[21]
  • Kakwa River.[21]
  • Kananaskis
  • Kapasiwin[22]
  • Kapawe'no First Nation[22]
  • Kaskitayo Edmonton community. Originally spelled “Kaskiteeo,” this name is derived from the Cree word, noted by J. B. Tyrrell in the 1870s as kas-ki-tee-oo-asiki, meaning “blackmud creek.” S (Neighbourhood names in the Kaskitayo area honour Aboriginal leaders – Bearspaw, Big Bear, Ermineskin, Kainai)[23]
  • Kikino Trail, Edmonton. The name of this trail, a major walkway in the Thorncliff neighbourhood, reflects the theme of most of Edmonton’s walkways, which are named for prominent Aboriginal people or have a relationship with Aboriginal heritage. Kikino is said to be the Cree word for “our home.” Kikino Trail is one of a number of trail names approved between 1969 and 1971. This name has been in use since 1895. While its origin is not recorded, the name is taken from the Cree word kinokamâw, which means “a long lake.”[24]
  • Kimiwan: Cree word for rainy
  • Kitaskino Nuwenëné Wildland Provincial Park (Wood Buffalo Park). Kitaskino Nuwenëné is both Cree and Dene meaning “our land.”
  • Lake Minnewanka: "Water of the Spirits" in Sioux (Nakoda/Stoney language)
  • Lily Lake—name is translation of Indigenous place name.[25]
  • Makaoo. Cree name of early leader of the band, the Onion Lake Cree Nation in Alberta and Saskatchewan,.[25]
  • Ma-Me-O Beach: from Cree: omîmîw, lit. 'pigeon'.
  • Manawan Lake: Cree for "egg-gathering place".[25]
  • Marie Lake: poor translation of the Cree word for the place methai, pronounced merai, which translates as a fish.[25]
  • Maskêkosihk Trail (formerly 23 Avenue between 215 Street and Anthony Henday Drive) Road of the "people of the land of medicine" in Cree[26]
  • Maskepetoon Park (Red Deer) after Chief Maskepetoon (1807–1869). Said to be the "Gandhi of the Plains", he made temporary peace between the Cree and the Siksika before being killed by an enemy.[27]
  • Maskwa Creek near Wetaskiwin (Cree for 'black bear')
  • Maskwacis (formerly known as Hobbema) collection of several First Nations name translates as 'bear hills'.
  • Matchayaw Lake Cree for bad spirit. Palliser translated the name as Little Manitoo in 1865.[25]
  • Medicine Hat: Translation of the Blackfoot word saamis, meaning "headdress of a medicine man".
  • Meeting Creek. English translation of the Cree name nukh-kwa-ta-to, which references the frequent meeting between the Cree and Blackfoot there.[25]
  • Metiskow Cree for 'many trees'.[28]
  • Mewassin Cree for 'good, beautiful'.[25]
  • Minaik: Cree (also Nakoda) "Minahik" for evergreen (pine or tamarack)
  • Michichi: Cree for 'hand' (nearby Hand Hills has same source).
  • Ministik (in the Beaver Hills UNESCO Biosphere Reserve) a former school district (Ministik School District #1796). Ministik Lake is nearby. Ministik means island in Nehiyawewin (Cree).[29]
  • Mitsue Creek.[30]
  • Mokowan Ridge.[31]
  • Moose Lake. Known to early French-Canadian fur traders as lac d'Orignal, meaning Moose Lake. This may have been a direct translation of the local Cree name of the same meaning, Mōswa sākahikan.[32]
  • Namaka (hamlet) Blackfoot name "near the water", referring to nearby Bow River or Eagle Lake.[33]
  • Neutral Hills Name commemorates the place where the Cree and Blackfoot made peace and chose to share the area's bison, ending decades-long fighting there.[34]
  • Nikanassin Range: "First range" in Cree
  • Notikewin (hamlet) and Notikewin River. The name derives from nôtinikewin, the Cree word for "battle".[35][36]
  • Okotoks: "Big Rock" in Blackfoot
  • Oldman River. The Piikani Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy named the river after their traditional sacred ground at its headwaters, said to the "Old Man's Playing Ground," sacred ground of Napi, the Old Man, the Great Creator.[37]
  • Otoskwan school district and railway siding on outskirts of Edmonton, now within Edmonton. Named after Cree name for nearby water-course Blackmud Creek. Otoskwan translates as big tributary. (William Peter Baergen, Pioneering with A Piece of Chalk)
  • Papaschase Industrial Park (Edmonton) named after Chief Papaschase (Papastayo) (ca. 1838–1918) or his band. (South Edmonton Saga)
  • Peace River translation of Dane-zaa language river name unjigah,[38] which is derived from peace made in late 1700s between two groups along its shores.[9]
  • Peigan – former school district (#3430).[39]
  • Pekisko from Blackfoot place name pik-isko translates as "rough ridge" or "rolling hills".[9][40]
  • Piikani 147 Indian Reserve (on which Brocket is located) owned by Piikani Nation (formerly the Peigan Nation).[41]
  • Pipestone River translation of Cree and possibly Nakoda place name, derived from it being source of stone to make pipes.[9]
  • Ponoka: attempt to use its Blackfoot name ponokáwa "Elk" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 16; https://www.albertaparks.ca/parks/south/writing-on-stone-pp/education-interpretation/blackfoot-glossary/)
  • Poundmaker Trail: named after Cree chief Poundmaker
  • Prairie Creek: translation of Cree and Nakoda place name.[9]
  • Pretty Hill: translation of Cree place name.[9]
  • Princess Lake: translation of Cree place name.[9]
  • Rabbit Hill (Edmonton): translation of Cree place name.[9]
  • Red River: colour of water in river (red from its high iron content).[9]
  • Redearth Creek: soil on its shores used by Natives as body paint.[9]
  • Redearth Pass: soil in pass used by First Nations as body paint.[9]
  • Redwater (river and town): translation of Cree name "red water".[9]
  • Redwillow Creek: form of translation of Cree place name literally "red feathers/bristles small river".[9]
  • Sakaw (neighbourhood in southside Edmonton)
  • Saskatchewan River, North and South Saskatchewan River. Derived from the Cree name for the Saskatchewan River, kisiskāciwani-sīpiy, meaning "swift flowing river"
  • Saskatoon Mountain Natural Area
  • Seven Persons translation of Blackfoot name kitsikitapi-itsinitupi "seven persons were killed" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 17) (see Hugh A. Dempsey, "A Blackfoot Winter Count" for full story.)
  • Shaganappi Trail (Calgary). Shaganappi are rawhide strips. Used to repair a myriad of objects, it was the duct tape of its time.
  • Skoki Mountain and Skoki valley. Stoney Nakoda word for swamp. There are several in the area.[42]
  • Skyrattler (neighbourhood in southside Edmonton)
  • Slave Lake: "Slave" was a mis-translation of the Cree word for foreigner to describe the Athabaskan people living there. (see Slave River, NWT, below)
  • Smoky Lake: This town's name comes from the Cree name for the almost-now-disappeared lake nearby. Wood Cree named it Smoking Lake for either the large number of campfires around it often, or smouldering coal-fires in the ground, or the unusually large quantities of mist that came off it at sunset. (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 17)
  • Sounding Lake, in the Neutral Hills. Name is based on Native legend wherein a Great Eagle, Mikisew, emerges from the waters and takes off across the hills, its great wings making a noise like thunder.[34]
  • Spirit River translation of Cree name for nearby water-course chipi-sipi "spirit river" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 17)
  • Stony Plain translation of Cree name asinipwat-muskatayo "Stony (Native) plain" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 18)
  • Sucker Creek translation of Cree name nimipi-sipisis "sucker (fish) creek" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 18)
  • Tawatinaw (hamlet) near Highway 2 about 100 kms north of Edmonton
  • Tecumseh, Mount a mountain in the Crowsnest Pass area
  • Tipaskan (neighbourhood in southside Edmonton)
  • Twin Butte may be derived from Blackfoot name natsikapway-tomo "double hill" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 18)
  • Two Hills (town about 120 kilometres east of Edmonton) may be derived from Cree name misoyik-kispakinasik "two hills" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 18)
  • Valley of Ten Peaks includes these four peaks named after the numerals of the Stoney language:
  • Vermilion River (Alberta) translation of Cree name for the water-course, weeyaman-sipi "red paint river" (Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 18)
  • Vermilion, Alberta see Vermilion River, which is nearby.
  • Wabamun: (lake and town west of Edmonton) is a Cree word for "mirror" or "looking glass"
  • Wabasca: from wapuskau, "grassy narrows" in Cree language
  • Wapiti River: from the Cree word for "elk", waapiti (literally "white rump").
  • Waputik Range: Waputik means "white goat" in Stoney
  • Waskatenau: village and creek. pronounced with silent "k." In 1880s area was home to the Wah-Sat-Now (Cree) band, which later moved to the Saddle Lake reserve.[43] Cree term for "opening in the banks", in reference to the cleft in the nearby ridge through which the Waskatenau Creek flows.[44]
  • Wetaskiwin: "Place of peace" or "hill of peace" in Cree
  • Yoho Park. The Cree word "yoho" is used the same way as the English "wow."[45]

British Columbia

For the scores of BC placenames from the Chinook Jargon, see List of Chinook Jargon place names.

A–B

C

D–J

K–L

M–N

O–Q

S

T

U–Z

Manitoba

New Brunswick

  • Apohaqui – translated from the Maliseet language, and means "The joining of two waters" or "the joining of two rivers". (Apohaqui is where the Millstream and the Kennebecasis River join.)
  • Aroostook
  • Bouctouche: a corruption of the Mi'kmaq word Chebooktoosk, meaning Great Little Harbour.
  • Caraquet: Derived from the Mi'kmaq language, meaning "junction (or meeting) of two rivers".[59][60]
  • Escuminac
  • Kennebecasis River
  • Kouchibouguac National Park (and River): Kouchibouguac means "river of the long tides" in Mi'kmaq.
  • Magaguadavic Lake, a Mi'kmaq word meaning "lake of eels".
  • Mactaquac, a Maliseet word meaning "big branch".
  • Manawagonish Island
  • Meductic : derived from the Maliseet word "Medoctic", meaning "the end".
  • Meduxnekeag
  • Miramichi : the name, which may be the oldest recorded name of aboriginal origin in Canada, may come from the Montagnais word for "country of the Micmac."
  • Nackawic, which gets its name from the Maliseet word meaning "straight" or "not in the direction it seems to be", alluding to the illusion created at the intersection of the Nackawic Stream and the Saint John River.
  • Nashwaak River : a corruption of the Maliseet word for slow current.
  • Nashwaaksis
  • Nauwigewauk :probably means babbling brook
  • Oromocto : possibly from the Maliseet word welamooktook which means "good river"
  • Penniac, meaning "fork in the river".
  • Penobsquis is a blend of Micmac terms for stone and brook.
  • Petitcodiac – term is derived from a Mi'kmaq word meaning "bends like a bow" (contradicts the popular belief that the name derived from the French term "petit coude", meaning "little elbow")[61]
  • Pokiok
  • Quispamsis – translated from the Maliseet language and means, "little lake in the woods" (i.e., Ritchie Lake)
  • Shiketehauk River
  • Temisquata Lake
  • Washademoak Lake
  • Woolastook (alternately 'Wolastoq'): Maliseet word meaning 'good and bountiful river': the Saint John River

Newfoundland and Labrador

  • Aguathuna: possibly derives from the Beothuk aguathoonet or aquathoont, "grindstone", imposed perhaps in the mistaken belief that it meant "white rock" for the limestone abundant in the area [62]
  • Kaipokok Bay: from Inuktitut, meaning "frothy water"[63]
  • Ktaqmkuk: Land over the water from Mi'kmaq language "Newfoundland"[64]
  • Makkovik: Vik is the Inuktitut word for "place". Makko- may have one of the following origins:
  1. it may be a corruption of the name Maarcoux, after Pierre Marcoux, a French trader in Labrador in the late 18th century ; or
  2. from the Inuktitut maggok, "two"; thus Makkovik would mean "two places". Around Makkovik are two inlets, Makkovik Bay and Makkovik harbour, and two main brooks floating into the two inlets. "Two Buchten Machovik", meaning "two bays Makkovik", is mentioned in a 1775 writing by the German Moravian missionary Johann Ludwig Beck.[2]

Nova Scotia

Northwest Territories

Main article: List of communities in the Northwest Territories

Nunavut

Ontario

Quebec

Saskatchewan

Yukon

See also

Main article: Index of articles related to Indigenous Canadians

Notes

  1. ^ Marc Lescarbot in his publication in French 1610 used the term "caribou." Silas Tertius Rand included the term Kaleboo in his Mi'kmaq-English dictionary in 1888.

References

  1. ^ Bruce G. Trigger and James F. Pendergast. (1978), "Saint-Lawrence Iroquoians", in Handbook of North American Indians. Volume 15. Washington: Smithsonian Institution, pp. 357–361
  2. ^ Jacques Cartier. (1545).Relation originale de Jacques Cartier. Paris, Tross, 1863 edition, page 48.
  3. ^ Alan Rayburn. (2001). Naming Canada: stories about Canadian place names, 2nd ed. (ISBN 0-8020-8293-9) University of Toronto Press: Toronto; p. 13.
  4. ^ Mithun, Marianne (1999). The Languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  5. ^ Bright (2004:78)
  6. ^ Rayburn, op. cit, p. 14.
  7. ^ Afable, Patricia O. and Madison S. Beeler (1996). "Place Names". In "Languages", ed. Ives Goddard. Vol. 17 of Handbook of North American Indians, ed. William C. Sturtevant. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution, pg. 191
  8. ^ Bright (2004:583)
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Fromhold, 2001 Indian Place Names of the West
  10. ^ "Place Renaming in Edmonton: A Constant in the City's History".
  11. ^ "About the Bow River". Bow Riverkeeper. Archived from the original on 2010-05-18. Retrieved 9 April 2012
  12. ^ a b https://calgaryguardian.com/whats-in-a-name-part-i/ (online)
  13. ^ Dempsey, 1969
  14. ^ Calgary Herald, May 29, 1889, p. 8
  15. ^ "Indigenous Ward Naming Knowledge Committee | City of Edmonton". City of Edmonton. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  16. ^ Holmgren and Holmgren, 1972
  17. ^ Aubrey, p.159
  18. ^ "History of James Mowat".
  19. ^ Edmonton Bulletin, May 6, 1897
  20. ^ https://webdocs.edmonton.ca/InfraPlan/NameAddress/minutes&agendas/2%20February%2015%202006%20Meeting%20Minutes.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  21. ^ a b Aubrey, p.172
  22. ^ a b Aubrey, p.173
  23. ^ Indigenous Place Names of Edmonton | Edmonton – Open Data Portal (online)
  24. ^ Indigenous Place Names of Edmonton | Edmonton – Open Data Portal (online)
  25. ^ a b c d e f g Harrison, Place Names of Alberta, volume 3
  26. ^ "Renamed Maskêkosihk Trail part of City's ongoing reconciliation commitment," CBC News, 12 Feb. 2016
  27. ^ MacEwan, Fifty Mighty Men
  28. ^ Aubrey, p.210
  29. ^ "Ministik".
  30. ^ Aubrey, p.215
  31. ^ Aubrey, p.217
  32. ^ Moose Lake, Alberta
  33. ^ https://wheatlandcounty.ca/locations/namaka/ (other places names of indigenous origin in the area are Blackfoot West End and Crowfoot)
  34. ^ a b Michaelides, Bathroom Book of Alberta History, p. 144
  35. ^ ePodunk. "Notikewin". Retrieved March 17, 2010
  36. ^ Cree dictionary. "nôtinikewin". Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  37. ^ "Oldman River," Historica Canada website
  38. ^ "Peace River". BC Geographical Names.
  39. ^ William Peter Baergen, Pioneering with a Piece of Chalk, p. 414
  40. ^ Hugh A. Dempsey, Indian Names for Alberta Communities, p. 16
  41. ^ Wikipedia "Piikani First Nation"
  42. ^ "On-Top.ca - Skoki Mountain".
  43. ^ Edmonton Bulletin, 3 Jan. 1881; 18 April 1885; 16 Sept. 1897
  44. ^ Harrison, Place Names of Alberta, Volume 3
  45. ^ Michaelides, Bathroom Book of Alberta History, p. 142
  46. ^ Online Etymology Dictionary, 'caribou'
  47. ^ Kavanagh, Maureen, ed. (2005) [1985], , Canadian Wildlife Service/EC, ISBN 0-662-39659-6, archived from the original on 24 December 2013, retrieved 21 December 2013
  48. ^ BC Names entry "Gataga Mountain"
  49. ^ "Klemtu". BC Geographical Names.
  50. ^ "Kwadacha River". BC Geographical Names.
  51. ^ "Caribou Hide (community)". BC Geographical Names.
  52. ^ "Nadina River". BC Geographical Names.
  53. ^ "Nakusp (village)". BC Geographical Names.
  54. ^ "New Brunswick "What's in a Name"".
  55. ^ "Acadian History:Maliseet History:Acadian Ancestral Home".
  56. ^ "About Quispamsis".
  57. ^ "Sicamous (district municipality)". BC Geographical Names.
  58. ^ "Toodoggone River". BC Geographical Names.
  59. ^ . AINC-INAC.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 13 June 2011. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  60. ^ . Archived from the original on 25 October 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  61. ^ "Petitcodiac River : Etymology".
  62. ^ a b . Archived from the original on 25 July 2002. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  63. ^ . Archived from the original on 3 November 2005. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  64. ^ "Mi'kmaq Organizations and Land Claims".
  65. ^ "Pepamuteiati nitassinat: As we walk across our land". Innuplaces.ca. 1 May 2007. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  66. ^ . Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  67. ^ . Archived from the original on 20 April 2006. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  68. ^ . Archived from the original on 11 December 2005. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  69. ^ . Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  70. ^ . Archived from the original on 25 October 2005. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  71. ^ Paskal, Cleo (10 June 2006). "The Toronto Star – Harbouring a host of delights". Toronto Star. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  72. ^ "Mi'kmaq Online.org – Words, Pronunciation – Jipugtug (with audio clips)". MikmaqOnline.org. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  73. ^ . MapleSquare.com. Archived from the original on 4 February 2009. Retrieved 20 April 2009.
  74. ^ "Gov.ns.ca – Transportation – Public Works – New highway named Cobequid Pass". Government of Nova Scotia. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  75. ^ "Acadian-Cajun, Genealogy & History – Exile Destination – Cobequid". Acadian-Cajun.com. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  76. ^ . TownOfPictou.ca. Archived from the original on 19 March 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  77. ^ "Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library, County place names". PARL.ns.ca. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  78. ^ . Tatamagouche.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  79. ^ . Sympatico.MSN.ca. Archived from the original on 18 April 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  80. ^ . Museum.gov.ns.ca. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2009.
  81. ^ Berger, Jonathan; Terry, Thomas (2007). Canoe Atlas of the Little North. Erin, Ont.: Boston Mills Press. pp. 109, 111, 115. ISBN 978-1-55046-496-2. OCLC 78038334. Also OCLC 174417835
  82. ^ a b c d e Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary
  83. ^ Rayburn, Alan, Place Names of Ontario, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997, p. 258.
  84. ^ Bright (2004:508–9)

Further reading

  • Rayburn, Alan (1 March 2001). Naming Canada: stories about Canadian place names. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-8293-0.
  • Bright, William (2004). Native American Placenames of the United States. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Resources

May 04, 2023
list, place, names, canada, indigenous, origin, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, bo. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources List of place names in Canada of Indigenous origin news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2012 Learn how and when to remove this template message This list of place names in Canada of Indigenous origin contains Canadian places whose names originate from the words of the First Nations Metis or Inuit collectively referred to as Indigenous Peoples When possible the original word or phrase used by Indigenous Peoples is included along with its generally believed meaning Names listed are only those used in English or French as many places have alternate names in the local native languages e g Alkali Lake British Columbia is Esket in the Shuswap language Lytton British Columbia is Camchin in the Thompson language often used in English however as Kumsheen Contents 1 Canada 2 Provinces and territories 3 By province and territory 3 1 Alberta 3 2 British Columbia 3 2 1 A B 3 2 2 C 3 2 3 D J 3 2 4 K L 3 2 5 M N 3 2 6 O Q 3 2 7 S 3 2 8 T 3 2 9 U Z 3 3 Manitoba 3 4 New Brunswick 3 5 Newfoundland and Labrador 3 6 Nova Scotia 3 7 Northwest Territories 3 8 Nunavut 3 9 Ontario 3 10 Quebec 3 11 Saskatchewan 3 12 Yukon 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 Further reading 8 ResourcesCanada EditThe name Canada comes from the word meaning village or settlement in the Saint Lawrence Iroquoian 1 language spoken by the inhabitants of Stadacona and the neighbouring region near present day Quebec City in the 16th century 2 Another contemporary meaning was land 3 Jacques Cartier was first to use the word Canada to refer not only to the village of Stadacona but also to the neighbouring region and to the Saint Lawrence River In other Iroquoian languages the words for town or village are similar the Mohawk use kana ta 4 5 the Seneca iennekanandaa and the Onondaga use ganataje 6 Provinces and territories EditProvinces and territories whose official names are aboriginal in origin are Yukon Saskatchewan Manitoba Ontario Quebec and Nunavut Manitoba Either derived from the Cree word manito wapaw meaning the strait of the spirit or manitobau or the Assiniboine words mini and tobow meaning Lake of the Prairie referring to Lake Manitoba Nunavut Our land in Inuktitut Ontario Derived from the Huron word onitariio meaning beautiful lake or kanadario meaning sparkling or beautiful water Quebec from the Mikmaq word kepek meaning strait or narrows 7 Saskatchewan Derived from the Cree name for the Saskatchewan River kisiskaciwani sipiy meaning swift flowing river Yukon from an Athabaskan language e g Koyukon yookkene or Lower Tanana yookuna 8 By province and territory EditAlberta Edit Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation no 437 formerly Indian Reserve named after the Alexis family prominent in the band Amisk Beaver in Cree Athabasca Where there are reeds in Cree Athabasca River Athabasca Falls Lake Athabasca Mount Athabasca Battle River translation of Cree place name There were many fights in its area between Cree Blackfoot and Nakoda 9 Bear Hills Lake translation of Cree place name 9 Bear Hill translation of Cree place name 9 Beaver Hills includes today s Elk Island Park translation of Cree Blackfoot and Nakoda place names for the feature 9 Cree name for area was amiskwaciy Cree name for Edmonton House was amiskwaciwaskahikan Beaver Mountain House 10 Blood Reserve 148 formerly Indian reserve Kinai First Nation name roughly translated as Blood in the past Bow River English translation of Blackfoot name for the river Makhabn river where bow reeds grow Blackfoot reeds there were good for making bows with which to shoot arrows 11 Bow Valley Natural Area see Bow River Calgary roads trails named after Indigenous Nations and an element of Metis lifestyle Stoney Blackfoot Metis Shaganappi Sarcee and Peigan Trails are all named in honour of the first people on this continent although the latter two have since changed their names The Peigan are now known as the Piikani Nation and the Sarcee are now the Tsuut ina Nation but both street names remain 12 Chipewyan duck lake includes Fort Chipewyan 13 Cooking Lake is a translation of its Cree place name opi mi now wa sioo indicating a cooking place Crowfoot Crossing named after Crowfoot Blackfoot name Sahpo Muxika born c 1836 died April 24 1890 chief of the Siksika First Nation and signatory of Treaty He was instrumental during the Treaty 7 negotiations and acted as a representative of his people 12 Deerfoot Trail after Deerfoot Bad Meat a Blackfoot man who was known around Calgary 14 Edmonton wards municipal election districts all bear names of Indigenous origin since 2020 15 Nakoda Isga Sioux the people referring to the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation O day min Anishinaabe strawberry literally heart berry invoking the image of the heart of the city through which the North Saskatchewan River runs Anirniq Pronunciation e ˈ n ɜːr k n ɪ k e NURK nik Inuktun breath of life honouring Inuit people who were brought to Edmonton in the 1950s and 1960s for treatment for tuberculosis being separated from their families for long periods and often mistreated many died and were buried in Edmonton tastawiyiniwak ᑕᐢᑕᐃᐧᔨᓂᐊᐧᐠ Pronunciation ˌ t ae s t e ˈ w iː n e w e k TASS te WEE ne wek Cree the in between people referring to the two spirit and LGBTQ communities Dene Pronunciation ˈ d ɛ n eɪ DEN ay Dene language the people referring to the Dene people Metis Pronunciation m eɪ ˈ t iː may TEE Michif Metis people who farmed in this area sipiwiyiniwak Pronunciation ˌ s iː p iː ˈ w ɪ n e w e k SEE pee WIN ne wek Enoch Cree river Cree referring to the Enoch Cree people papastew Pronunciation ˌ p ɑː p e ˈ s t eɪ oʊ PAH pe STAY oh Papaschase Cree woodpecker the name of the Papaschase people commemorating Chief Papaschase or Papastew 19th c pihesiwin ᐱᐦᐁᓯᐏᐣ Pronunciation p iː ˈ h eɪ s e w e n pee HAY se wen Cree land of the thunderbirds Ipiihkoohkanipiaohtsi Pronunciation ɪ ˌ p iː k oʊ k e ˈ n iː p j ɑː oʊ t s iː i PEE koh ke NEE pyah oht see Blackfoot northward migration of the bison Karhiio Pronunciation ˌ ɡ ɑːr e ˈ h iː oʊ GAR e HEE oh Mohawk tall beautiful forest name of Michel Karhiio chief of the Michel First Nation Sspomitapi Pronunciation ˌ s p oʊ m ɪ t e ˈ p iː SPOH mih te PEE Blackfoot star person a sacred iron meteorite also known as the Iron Creek Meteorite or Manitou Stone Manitou Asiniy now in the Royal Alberta Museum Ermineskin Reserve 138 formerly Indian reserve owned by Ermineskin Cree Nation one of the Four Nations of Maskwacis Goosequill Lake translation of Cree word Manikwanan for the lake 16 Grand Forks translation of Blackfoot name for the place Grand Prairie translation of Cree name Big Prairie Ipiatik Lake 17 James Mowatt Trail James Mowatt Metis born in St Andrews Manitoba carried message from Edmonton to Calgary during 1885 Rebellion asking for military assistance for Edmonton which was thought to be under threat of Native uprising He made the trip in only 36 hours a record at that time He later was a gold rusher and then moved back to Manitoba 18 19 20 Kakisa River 21 Kakwa River 21 Kananaskis Kapasiwin 22 Kapawe no First Nation 22 Kaskitayo Edmonton community Originally spelled Kaskiteeo this name is derived from the Cree word noted by J B Tyrrell in the 1870s as kas ki tee oo asiki meaning blackmud creek S Neighbourhood names in the Kaskitayo area honour Aboriginal leaders Bearspaw Big Bear Ermineskin Kainai 23 Kikino Trail Edmonton The name of this trail a major walkway in the Thorncliff neighbourhood reflects the theme of most of Edmonton s walkways which are named for prominent Aboriginal people or have a relationship with Aboriginal heritage Kikino is said to be the Cree word for our home Kikino Trail is one of a number of trail names approved between 1969 and 1971 This name has been in use since 1895 While its origin is not recorded the name is taken from the Cree word kinokamaw which means a long lake 24 Kimiwan Cree word for rainy Kitaskino Nuwenene Wildland Provincial Park Wood Buffalo Park Kitaskino Nuwenene is both Cree and Dene meaning our land Lake Minnewanka Water of the Spirits in Sioux Nakoda Stoney language Lily Lake name is translation of Indigenous place name 25 Makaoo Cree name of early leader of the band the Onion Lake Cree Nation in Alberta and Saskatchewan 25 Ma Me O Beach from Cree omimiw lit pigeon Manawan Lake Cree for egg gathering place 25 Marie Lake poor translation of the Cree word for the place methai pronounced merai which translates as a fish 25 Maskekosihk Trail formerly 23 Avenue between 215 Street and Anthony Henday Drive Road of the people of the land of medicine in Cree 26 Maskepetoon Park Red Deer after Chief Maskepetoon 1807 1869 Said to be the Gandhi of the Plains he made temporary peace between the Cree and the Siksika before being killed by an enemy 27 Maskwa Creek near Wetaskiwin Cree for black bear Maskwacis formerly known as Hobbema collection of several First Nations name translates as bear hills Matchayaw Lake Cree for bad spirit Palliser translated the name as Little Manitoo in 1865 25 Medicine Hat Translation of the Blackfoot word saamis meaning headdress of a medicine man Meeting Creek English translation of the Cree name nukh kwa ta to which references the frequent meeting between the Cree and Blackfoot there 25 Metiskow Cree for many trees 28 Mewassin Cree for good beautiful 25 Minaik Cree also Nakoda Minahik for evergreen pine or tamarack Michichi Cree for hand nearby Hand Hills has same source Ministik in the Beaver Hills UNESCO Biosphere Reserve a former school district Ministik School District 1796 Ministik Lake is nearby Ministik means island in Nehiyawewin Cree 29 Mitsue Creek 30 Mokowan Ridge 31 Moose Lake Known to early French Canadian fur traders as lac d Orignal meaning Moose Lake This may have been a direct translation of the local Cree name of the same meaning Mōswa sakahikan 32 Namaka hamlet Blackfoot name near the water referring to nearby Bow River or Eagle Lake 33 Neutral Hills Name commemorates the place where the Cree and Blackfoot made peace and chose to share the area s bison ending decades long fighting there 34 Nikanassin Range First range in Cree Notikewin hamlet and Notikewin River The name derives from notinikewin the Cree word for battle 35 36 Okotoks Big Rock in Blackfoot Oldman River The Piikani Nation of the Blackfoot Confederacy named the river after their traditional sacred ground at its headwaters said to the Old Man s Playing Ground sacred ground of Napi the Old Man the Great Creator 37 Otoskwan school district and railway siding on outskirts of Edmonton now within Edmonton Named after Cree name for nearby water course Blackmud Creek Otoskwan translates as big tributary William Peter Baergen Pioneering with A Piece of Chalk Papaschase Industrial Park Edmonton named after Chief Papaschase Papastayo ca 1838 1918 or his band South Edmonton Saga Peace River translation of Dane zaa language river name unjigah 38 which is derived from peace made in late 1700s between two groups along its shores 9 Peigan former school district 3430 39 Pekisko from Blackfoot place name pik isko translates as rough ridge or rolling hills 9 40 Piikani 147 Indian Reserve on which Brocket is located owned by Piikani Nation formerly the Peigan Nation 41 Pipestone River translation of Cree and possibly Nakoda place name derived from it being source of stone to make pipes 9 Ponoka attempt to use its Blackfoot name ponokawa Elk Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 16 https www albertaparks ca parks south writing on stone pp education interpretation blackfoot glossary Poundmaker Trail named after Cree chief Poundmaker Prairie Creek translation of Cree and Nakoda place name 9 Pretty Hill translation of Cree place name 9 Princess Lake translation of Cree place name 9 Rabbit Hill Edmonton translation of Cree place name 9 Red River colour of water in river red from its high iron content 9 Redearth Creek soil on its shores used by Natives as body paint 9 Redearth Pass soil in pass used by First Nations as body paint 9 Redwater river and town translation of Cree name red water 9 Redwillow Creek form of translation of Cree place name literally red feathers bristles small river 9 Sakaw neighbourhood in southside Edmonton Saskatchewan River North and South Saskatchewan River Derived from the Cree name for the Saskatchewan River kisiskaciwani sipiy meaning swift flowing river Saskatoon Mountain Natural Area Seven Persons translation of Blackfoot name kitsikitapi itsinitupi seven persons were killed Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 17 see Hugh A Dempsey A Blackfoot Winter Count for full story Shaganappi Trail Calgary Shaganappi are rawhide strips Used to repair a myriad of objects it was the duct tape of its time Skoki Mountain and Skoki valley Stoney Nakoda word for swamp There are several in the area 42 Skyrattler neighbourhood in southside Edmonton Slave Lake Slave was a mis translation of the Cree word for foreigner to describe the Athabaskan people living there see Slave River NWT below Smoky Lake This town s name comes from the Cree name for the almost now disappeared lake nearby Wood Cree named it Smoking Lake for either the large number of campfires around it often or smouldering coal fires in the ground or the unusually large quantities of mist that came off it at sunset Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 17 Sounding Lake in the Neutral Hills Name is based on Native legend wherein a Great Eagle Mikisew emerges from the waters and takes off across the hills its great wings making a noise like thunder 34 Spirit River translation of Cree name for nearby water course chipi sipi spirit river Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 17 Stony Plain translation of Cree name asinipwat muskatayo Stony Native plain Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 18 Sucker Creek translation of Cree name nimipi sipisis sucker fish creek Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 18 Tawatinaw hamlet near Highway 2 about 100 kms north of Edmonton Tecumseh Mount a mountain in the Crowsnest Pass area Tipaskan neighbourhood in southside Edmonton Twin Butte may be derived from Blackfoot name natsikapway tomo double hill Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 18 Two Hills town about 120 kilometres east of Edmonton may be derived from Cree name misoyik kispakinasik two hills Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 18 Valley of Ten Peaks includes these four peaks named after the numerals of the Stoney language Mount Tonsa no 4 Mount Tuzo no 7 Neptuak Mountain no 9 Wenkchemna Peak no 10 Vermilion River Alberta translation of Cree name for the water course weeyaman sipi red paint river Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 18 Vermilion Alberta see Vermilion River which is nearby Wabamun lake and town west of Edmonton is a Cree word for mirror or looking glass Wabamun 133A Wabamun 133B Wabamun Lake Wabamun Lake Provincial Park Wabasca from wapuskau grassy narrows in Cree language Wapiti River from the Cree word for elk waapiti literally white rump Waputik Range Waputik means white goat in Stoney Waskatenau village and creek pronounced with silent k In 1880s area was home to the Wah Sat Now Cree band which later moved to the Saddle Lake reserve 43 Cree term for opening in the banks in reference to the cleft in the nearby ridge through which the Waskatenau Creek flows 44 Wetaskiwin Place of peace or hill of peace in Cree Yoho Park The Cree word yoho is used the same way as the English wow 45 British Columbia Edit For the scores of BC placenames from the Chinook Jargon see List of Chinook Jargon place names A B Edit Ahnuhati River where the humpback salmon go in Kwak wala Ahousat people living with their backs to the mountains in Nuu chah nulth Nootka Aiyansh and New Aiyansh early leaves or leafing early in the Nisga a language Akamina Pass mountain pass in Ktunaxa Kootenay Akie River cut bank river in Dunne za Amiskwi River beaver trail in Cree Anyox place of hiding in Nisga a Ashlu Creek Ashnola River thought to mean white water in Okanagan Asitka River Asitka Peak Asitka Lake Askom Mountain mountain in St at imcets the Lillooet language Atchelitz bay or inlet in Halqemeylem Atlin big lake in Inland Tlingit Atna Range strangers or other people in Carrier Atnarko River river of strangers in Chilcotin Atsutla Range Attachie the name of a Beaver indian whose descendants are members of the nearby Doig River First Nation Bella Coola Named for the usual term for the local indigenous people who call themselves Nuxalk Bella Coola is an adaption of belxwela the Heiltsuk name for the Nuxalk their meaning is not limited to the band at Bella Coola but to all Nuxalk Bella Bella This is an adaption of the Heiltsuk name for themselves pelbala Botanie Mountain Botanie Creek Botanie Valley etc meaning covered covering or blanketed all over in Nlaka pamux Thompson which is thought to be a reference to its shroud of cloud or fog in times of bad weather or else a reference to the abundant plant cover in the area An 1894 account of a Secwepemc Shuswap meaning is many root place the upper end of the Botanie Valley is near the limit of Secwepemc territory C Edit Canim Lake Canim River Canim Falls Canim Beach Provincial Park canoe in the Chinook Jargon Cariboo from the Mi kmaq language xalibu or Qalipu via French caribou 1610 cariboeuf or carfboeuf pawer or scratcher 46 47 Notes 1 A mountain subspecies of caribou were once numerous Carmanah Creek Carmanah Valley Carmanah Point thus far upstream in the Nitinaht dialect of Nuu chah nulth Cassiar a remote adaptation of Kaska definition debatable but possibly old moccasins Caycuse River from the Nitinaht dialect of Nuu chah nulth language meaning place where they fix up canoes Cayoosh Creek Cayoosh is a Lillooet area variant of cayuse originally from the Spanish caballo horse although in Lillooet and the Chilcotin this word specifies a particular breed of Indian mountain pony There are two versions of the name s meaning In one account someone s pony dropped dead in or at the creek after an arduous journey over the pass at the head of its valley In the other the crest of standing waves in the rushing waters of the creek are said to resemble bucking horses and their manes Celista British Columbia from the Secwepemc chiefly and family name Celesta common in the nearby community of Neskonlith near Chase Chaba Peak from the Stoney language word for beaver Chantslar Lake from the Chilcotin language word for steelhead lake Cheakamus River from the Squamish language Chiyakmesh for salmon weir place Cheam Halqemeylem for place to always get strawberries The Halqemeylem term refers to an island across from the present day reserve and village This name is used in English for Mount Cheam Cheam Peak the most prominent of the Four Sisters Range east of Chilliwack which in Halqemeylem is called Thleethleq the name of Mount Baker Kulshan s wife turned to stone Chechidla Range from a phrase meaning mountains of small rocks in the Tahltan language Checleset Bay from the Nuu chah nulth language name Cheklesahht people of cut on the beach the local group of Nuu chah nulth people whose band government today is the Kyuquot Cheklesahht First Nation Chedakuz Arm Knewstubb Lake Carrier language Cheewat River from the Nitinaht dialect of Nuu chah nulth for having an island nearby Cheekye River and the locality of Cheekye near Squamish from Nch kay the Squamish language name for Mount Garibaldi meaning dirty place in reference to that mountain s ash stained snows Chehalis and Chehalis River probable meanings vary from the place one reaches after ascending the rapids or where the chest of a canoe grounds on a sandbar The sandbar or rapids in question would be the old riffles of the Harrison River where it empties into the Fraser River out of Harrison Bay the riffles were dredged out in gold rush times The Chehalis people refer to themselves however as Sts ailes beating heart Cheja Range from a phrase meaning mountains are hard in the Tahltan language Chemainus Named after the native shaman and prophet Tsa meeun is which means Broken Chest or bitten breast Hulquminum language a reference to the bitemarks possible during a shamanic frenzy which the local horseshoe shaped bay is thought to have resembled Cheslatta Lake top of small mountain or small rock mountain at east side in the Carrier language Chezacut birds without feathers in the Chilcotin language Chic Chic Bay Tshik tshik under various spellings is the Chinook Jargon for a wagon or wheeled vehicle Chikamin Range Chickamin as usually spelled is metal or ore in the Chinook Jargon often meaning simply gold Chilako River beaver hand river in the Carrier language Chilanko River many beaver river in the Chilcotin language Chilcotin River red ochre river people in the Chilcotin language Chilkat Pass salmon storehouse in the Tlingit language Chilko River red ochre river in the Chilcotin language Chilliwack Going back up in Halqemeylem Other translations are quieter water on the head or travel by way of a backwater of slough all a reference to the broad marshlands and sloughs of the Chilliwack area which lies between the Fraser River s many side channels and Sumas Prairie much of formerly Sumas Lake Older spellings are Chilliwhack Chilliwayhook Chil whey uk Chilwayook and Silawack Chinook Cove on the North Thompson River a reference to the Chinook salmon rather than to the language wind or people of the same name Choelquoit Lake fishtrap lake in the Chilcotin language Chonat Bay where coho salmon are found in Kwak wala Chu Chua the plural of the Secwepemc language word for creek Chuckwalla River short river in Oowekyala The nearby Kilbella River means long river Chukachida River Chutine River half people in either the Tlinkit or Tahltan languages The area s population was half Tlingit and half Tahltan Cinnemousun Narrows Provincial Park From the Secwepemc language cium moust un meaning come and go back again sometimes translated as the bend i e in Shuswap Lake Clayoquot Sound an adaption of the Nuu chah nulth language Tla o qui aht which has a variety of translations other or different people other or strange house people who are different from what they used to be in Nitinaht the phrase translates as people of the place where it becomes the same even when disturbed Clo oose campsite beach in the Nitinaht dialect of Nuu chah nulth Clusko River mud river in the Chilcotin language Cluxewe Mountain Cluxewe River delta or sand bar in Kwak wala Coglistiko River stream coming from small jack pine windfalls in the Carrier language Colquitz River waterfall in North Straits Salish Comiaken bare devoid of vegetation in Hulquminum Comaplix British Columbia is a former mining town which was named after the Incomappleux River from the Lakes or Colville Okanagan word nk mapeleqs meaning point at end of lake Comox either from the Chinook Jargon for dog kamuks or from the Kwak wala for place of plenty Conuma Peak high rocky peak in the Nuu chah nulth language Coqualeetza place of beating of blankets to get them clean in Halqemeylem Coquihalla River Coquihalla Mountain stingy container of fish in Halqemeylem a reference to black coloured water spirits who would steal fish right off the spear Coquitlam small red salmon in Halqemeylem Upriver Halkomelem Derived from the name of the Kwikwetlem people Another and more usual translation is stinking of fish slime or stinking fish thought to be a reference to the Kwikwetlem people s role as slaves to the Katzie and Kwantlen as fish butchers Cowichan from Quwutsun land warmed by the sun or warm country Hulquminum Cultus bad of no value worthless in Chinook jargon In First Nations legend this popular recreational lake south of Chilliwack was said to be inhabited by evil spirits Cumshewa Cumshewa Inlet Cunshewa Head Cumshewa was a prominent Haida chief in the late 18th century noted for the killing of the crew of the US trading vessel Constitution in 1794 His name means rich at the mouth of the river and was conferred from the language of the Heiltsuk who were allies of the Cumshewa Haida D J Edit Dil Dil Plateau meaning unknown probably Chilcotin language Ealue Lake sky fish in Tahltan Ecstall River from the Tsimshian for tributary or something from the side the Ecstall joins the Skeena River near Prince Rupert Eddontenajon child crying in the water or a little boy drowned in Tahltan Cape Edensaw Edenshaw in its modern spelling remains an important name in modern Haida society known mostly nowadays for the dynasty of famous carvers of that name all descendants of the early 19th century chief of this name one of the powerful chiefs of Masset Edziza Mount and Edziza Mount volcanic complex named after the Edzertza family of the Tahltan people who live nearby Elaho River Endako Lake Carrier language Esquimalt North Straits Salish for the place of gradually shoaling water Derived from their word Es whoy malth Euchuk Lake Carrier language Fontas River originally Fantasque s River after the name of a chief of the Sekani people Gataga River Gataga Lakes Gataga Mountain Gataga River Gataga Ranges derived from the Sekani name for the river Tadadze Guzagi K uge 48 Gingolx also sp Kincolith Place of skulls in the Nisga a language Gunn Valley from the name of a member of the Xeni Gwet in of Nemaiah Valley who lived there ganin Hotnarko River Hozameen Range Hunlen Falls from the name of a chief whose trapline was in the area of the falls Incomappleux River is from the Lakes or Colville Okanagan word nk mapeleqs meaning point at end of lake The name of the former town of Comaplix and adjacent mountain and creek are derived from the name of the river Inklin River Kinuseo Falls from the Cree for fish K L Edit Kalamalka Lake Kamloops anglicization of the Shuswap word Tk emlups meaning where the rivers meet Kasalka Range Kasalka Butte Kasalka Creek Kelowna ki lawna meaning a male grizzly bear in the Okanagan language Kemano from the name of one of the subdivisions of the Henaksiala people a subgroup of the Haisla Keremeos Khutzeymateen River Khutzeymateen Provincial Park Khutzeymateen Inlet from K tzim a deen Tsimshian language Kincolith see Gingolx Kitimat people of the snow Kitlope River var of Gitlope the Tsimshian language name for the Gitlope people of the rocks now amalgamated with the Gitamaat band as the Haisla First Nation Kitselas British Columbia Kitselas Canyon people of the village in the canyon in the Tsimshian language Kitsumkalum British Columbia Kitsumkalum River people of the riffles in the shallow water in the Tsimshian language Klemtu from the Coast Tsimshian language Klemdoo oolk meaning impassable 49 Kluskus Lakes Kluskus Hills Kluskus Kootenay derived from the proper name of the Kootenay people Ktunaxa Kuyakuz Mountain Kuyakuz Lake Kwadacha River white water in Sekani indigenous spelling Kwadata or Kwodach The river contains high amounts of rock flour so white is reference to the colour of the water not to rapids 50 Kwadacha Glacier Kwadacha Mountain Kwadacha Wilderness Provincial Park Kwadacha British Columbia Fort Ware Lakelse Lake Lakelse Lake Provincial Park Lakelse Hot Springs etc from the Coast Tsimshian LaxGyels Kyuquot British Columbia Kyuquot Sound from the name of the local group of Nuu chah nulth Lillooet adapted from the proper name for the Lower St at imc people the Lil wat of Mt Currie Lil wat means wild onions The old name of Lillooet was Cayoosh Flat 1858 1860 derived from the name of one of the streams converging into the Fraser at the town cayoosh is the local variant of Chinook Jargon for horse or Indian pony M N Edit Malahat Malakwa from Chinook Jargon malakwa for mosquito s from fr le maringouin Mamquam River Marktosis Masset a Haida adaptation of a Spanish captain s name possibly Masseta or Massetta Matsqui stretch of higher ground Mehatl Creek Mesilinka River Metchosin English translation of Smets Schosen meaning place of stinking fish Metsantan Pass Metsantan Range People of the Caribou Hide in Kaska Also the name of the former settlement of Metsantan aka Caribou Hide and of Metsantan Creek and Metsantan Lake 51 Misinchinka River Mount Tzouhalem after the Quamichan chief and warrior who was banished there Mquqʷin Brooks Peninsula Provincial Park Muskwa River bear in the Cree language Naglico Lake Naglico Hills Nadina River Nadina Mountain the name of the river is derived from that of Nadina Mountain which is near its source the name of which means standing up alone in the Carrier language The river s actual name in Carrier not adopted by the geographical names board is Nadinako 52 Nahatlatch River Nahatlatch Needle Nakina River Nakusp from the Sinixt or Okanagan language word Neqo sp meaning closed in or safe 53 Namu Nanaimo Named after the Snuneymuxw people Nanoose Bay Natalkuz Lake Nauwigewauk New Brunswick from the Wolastoqiyik Maliseet word Nuhwig ewauk 54 which is the Wolastoqey name for the Hammond River possibly meaning slow current Nazko river flowing from the south in Carrier Nechako River An anglicization of netʃa koh its name in the indigenous Carrier language which means big river Nemaiah Valley from Nemiah name of the founding chief who moved there from Hanceville Nicolum River Nicoamen River Nicoamen Plateau Nicolum River Nicolum River Provincial Park Nicomekl River Halq emeylem for the route to go or the pathway Nicomen Island Nimpkish River from the name of the Namgis the Kwakwaka wakw people whose territory this river is in Nimpo Lake Nitinat Lake from the usual English spelling of the name of the Ditidaht people Noaxe Lake Noaxe CreekO Q Edit Okanagan Omineca River Omineca Mountains Omineca Country Ominicetla River Ootsa Lake Opitsaht Osilinka River Osoyoos From suius in the Okanagan language meaning Narrowing of the waters the O prefix was added by English speakers to harmonize with Okanagan and other O placenames in the area such as Omak Oroville and Oliver Ospika River Pasayten River Penticton Place to stay forever in Okanagan Popkum puffball mushrooms in Halqemeylem Qualicum Beach Qualicum River Where the dog salmon run in Comox Quanchus Range Quatsino Sound Quatsino Provincial Park Quatsino British Columbia from Gwat sinux the name of the local group of Kwakwaka wakw people Quispamsis New Brunswick From qospemsis in the Wolastoqiyik Maliseet 55 word meaning Little lake in the woods the lake being present day Ritchie Lake 56 S Edit Saanich from WSANEC the name of one of the local Straits Salish peoples and their language Sechelt the town is named after the Shishalh people who live in the area Shalalth From Ts alalh the lake in the St at imcets language of the Lillooet people Shulaps Range Shulaps Peak ram of the mountain sheep in the Chilcotin language Sicamous river circling mountains in the Shuswap language 57 Sikanni Chief River Siska from sisqa Thompson language Nlaka pamux for uncle Skaha Lake from the Okanagan language word for dog sqexe Skaha Lake in frontier times was often called Dog Lake although that is the Shuswap language meaning of skaha in the Okanagan language it means horse or pony Skaist Mountain Skaist River Skeena River from X san Tsimshian Gitksan for River of Mist Skihist Mountain and Skihist Provincial Park Skidegate Skookumchuck strong skookum ocean water chuck that is strong tide strong ocean current rapids in Chinook Jargon three different locations Sechelt Inlet Lillooet River Columbia River East Kootenay though also has a general meaning of a tidal rapids usually at the mouth of an inlet Similkameen From Similkameugh or Samilkameigh or Samilkumeigh meaning white swan one of the twelve tribes of the Okanagan people The meen ending was forced by the whites on this name to harmonize with the name of the river s tributary the Tulameen Slocan and Slocan River Slhu kin Meaning speared in the head in the Lakes dialect of the Colville Okanagan language and in reference to the traditional method of spear fishing in the region with a three pronged fish spear a lhumin Sloko River Somass River Sooke named after the T Souke people who live in the area Spallumcheen Spatsizi River and associated placenames Spillimacheen River Spillimacheen Spuzzum from the local variant of the Chinook Jargon spatsum a reed used in basketry Squamish and Squamish River The river and the town are named after the Squamish people who live in the area Stein River Adjacent to Lytton BC Stein is an adaptation of the Nlaka pamux Thompson staygn hidden place Stellako River Stellako Stikine River and associated placenames From Shta KEEN great river in the Tlingit language Sumallo River Sumas Lake Sumas River Sumas Mountain and the old District of Sumas now part of Abbotsford from a Halqemeylem language word for a big level opening T Edit Taghum British Columbia taghum is the Chinook Jargon word for six Taghum is six miles from Nelson Tagish Lake Tagish Highland fish trap or it spring ice is breaking up in the Tagish language Tahltan Tahltan River Little Tahltan River Tahltan Highland a Tlingit language word for something heavy in the water i e salmon originally applied to the settlement extended from there to become the name of the Tahltan people Tahsis Tahtsa Lake Tahtsa Peak Tahtsa Ranges Talchako River Talchako Pass Takla Lake Takla Landing Taku River Taku Plateau and the Taku Arm of Tagish Lake from the name of the Taku people Talchako River Tanzilla River Tanzilla Plateau Taseko Mountain Taseko River Taseko Lakes from the Chilcotin language Desiqox which means Mosquito River Tatla Lake Tatlatui Provincial Park Tatlatui Lake Tatlatui Peak Tatlayoko Lake Tchaikazan River from the Chilcotin language name for a peak visible from its valley Ts icheza on Teslin Lake and Teslin British Columbia from the name of the local group of Inland Tlinkit Tochquonyalla Range Toodoggone River originally Thudegade and from the Kaska language Tuhfa Ughane meaning Two Brothers Riveror eagles nest 58 Tsʼilʔos Provincial Park also Tsʼilʔos Tsʼylos Tsʼyl os Tsoloss the Chilcotin language name for Mount Tatlow Tulameen Nlaka pamux Thompson language for red earth a reference to the ochre found here Tuya River Tuya Lake Tuya Range Little Tuya River Tsawwassen Looking toward the sea in North Straits Salish Tyoax Pass at the head of Tyaughton Creek see next Tyaughton Lake Tyaughton Creek also Tyoax Tyax from the Chilcotin language for jumping fish Tyhee Lake Provincial Park Tyhee is a variant of the usual Chinook Jargon tyee chief big great important boss U Z Edit Ucluelet people of the safe harbour in the language of the Nuu chah nulth Unuk River Wannock River poison in Wuikyala Wapiti River Whonnock Whonnock Lake Whonnock Creek from honnock humpback salmon in Halqemeylem the only variety of salmon to spawn in Whonnock Creek Yalakom River Yalakom Mountain ewe of the mountain sheep in the Chilcotin language Yohetta Valley Yohetta Creek Yohetta Lake from the Tsilhqot in language yuyetabin where bin means lake Yoho National Park Yoho means how amazing or it is beautiful Yuquot the Nuu chah nulth language name meaning winds come from all directions for the village usually known in English as Friendly Cove on Nootka Sound Zagoddetchino Mountain Zus Mountain Zymoetz RiverManitoba Edit Amiku From the Ojibwe word Amiik meaning beaver From the population of beavers Grand Rapids Translation of Cree word misepawistik meaning rushing rapids The Pas From French Le Pas a shortening of Fort Pascoyac from the Pasquia River named for the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Wapusk National Park from wapask polar bear in Cree language Winnipeg muddy water from the word win nipi of the Cree New Brunswick Edit Apohaqui translated from the Maliseet language and means The joining of two waters or the joining of two rivers Apohaqui is where the Millstream and the Kennebecasis River join Aroostook Bouctouche a corruption of the Mi kmaq word Chebooktoosk meaning Great Little Harbour Caraquet Derived from the Mi kmaq language meaning junction or meeting of two rivers 59 60 Escuminac Kennebecasis River Kouchibouguac National Park and River Kouchibouguac means river of the long tides in Mi kmaq Magaguadavic Lake a Mi kmaq word meaning lake of eels Mactaquac a Maliseet word meaning big branch Manawagonish Island Meductic derived from the Maliseet word Medoctic meaning the end Meduxnekeag Miramichi the name which may be the oldest recorded name of aboriginal origin in Canada may come from the Montagnais word for country of the Micmac Nackawic which gets its name from the Maliseet word meaning straight or not in the direction it seems to be alluding to the illusion created at the intersection of the Nackawic Stream and the Saint John River Nashwaak River a corruption of the Maliseet word for slow current Nashwaaksis Nauwigewauk probably means babbling brook Oromocto possibly from the Maliseet word welamooktook which means good river Penniac meaning fork in the river Penobsquis is a blend of Micmac terms for stone and brook Petitcodiac term is derived from a Mi kmaq word meaning bends like a bow contradicts the popular belief that the name derived from the French term petit coude meaning little elbow 61 Pokiok Quispamsis translated from the Maliseet language and means little lake in the woods i e Ritchie Lake Shiketehauk River Temisquata Lake Washademoak Lake Woolastook alternately Wolastoq Maliseet word meaning good and bountiful river the Saint John RiverNewfoundland and Labrador Edit Aguathuna possibly derives from the Beothuk aguathoonet or aquathoont grindstone imposed perhaps in the mistaken belief that it meant white rock for the limestone abundant in the area 62 Kaipokok Bay from Inuktitut meaning frothy water 63 Ktaqmkuk Land over the water from Mi kmaq language Newfoundland 64 Makkovik Vik is the Inuktitut word for place Makko may have one of the following origins it may be a corruption of the name Maarcoux after Pierre Marcoux a French trader in Labrador in the late 18th century 1 or from the Inuktitut maggok two thus Makkovik would mean two places Around Makkovik are two inlets Makkovik Bay and Makkovik harbour and two main brooks floating into the two inlets Two Buchten Machovik meaning two bays Makkovik is mentioned in a 1775 writing by the German Moravian missionary Johann Ludwig Beck 2 Natuashish from Innu aimun meaning a small lake 65 Nunatsiavut from Inuktitut meaning our beautiful land 66 Shannoc Brook Joseph Beete Jukes the Geological Surveyor of Newfoundland in 1839 1840 believed that Shannoc Brook a tributary of the Exploits River was given the Beothuk name for the Mi kmaq 62 Sheshatshiu from Innu aimun meaning a narrow place in the river 67 Torngat Mountains from the Inuktitut name for the region turngait meaning spirits Inuit legends hold that here the spirit and physical worlds overlap 68 Wabana from the Abenaki wabunaki east land from wabun dawn so named in 1895 by Colonel Thomas Cantley president of the Nova Scotia Steel Company 69 Wabush from Innu aimun uapush Arctic hare 70 Nova Scotia Edit Antigonish Derived from the Mi kmaq word nalegitkoonechk meaning where branches are torn off Baddeck Chebucto the original name of Halifax and the Halifax Harbour Derived from the Mi kmaq word Jipugtug meaning the biggest harbour 71 72 73 Cobequid Derived from the Mi kmaq word Wakobetgitk meaning end of the rushing or flowing water 74 75 Ecum Secum Derived from the Mi kmaq language meaning a red house Eskasoni Derived from the Mi kmaq word We kwistoqnik meaning Where the fir trees are plentiful Kejimkujik National Park Kejimkujik has been translated as meaning attempting to escape or swollen waters but the park s official translation means tired muscles Malagash Merigomish Mushaboom Musquodoboit Harbour foaming to the sea The name is an anglicized version of the Mi kmaq word Moosekudoboogwek Nictaux Nova Scotia meaning unknown Pictou Derived from the Mi kmaq word Piktook meaning an explosion of gas 76 77 Pugwash Derived from the Mi kmaq word pagwe ak meaning deep water 78 79 Shubenacadie Derived from the Mi kmaq word Shubenacadie or Segubunakade means abounding in ground nuts or place where the red potato grows Stewiacke Derived from the Mi kmaq language meaning flowing out in small streams and whimpering or whining as it goes 80 Tatamagouche Derived from the Mi kmaq word takumegooch meaning meeting of the waters Tracadie Wagmatcook Whycocomagh Derived from a Mi kmaq word which means Head of the Waters Northwest Territories Edit Main article List of communities in the Northwest Territories Aulavik National Park Aulavik means place where people travel in Inuvialuktun Naats ihch oh National Park Reserve Naats ihch oh means stands like a porcupine in the Dene Suline language Nahanni National Park Reserve and South Nahanni River from Nahani meaning People over there far away in the Dene language Pingo Canadian Landmark from Pingo an Inuvialuktun word for small hill Slave River thought to come from the Athabaskan Deh Gah Got ine the name for the Slavey group of the Dene First Nations Thaydene Nene National Park Thaydene Nene meaning land of our ancestors in the Dene language Tuktut Nogait National Park Tuktut Nurrait means young caribous in InuvialuktunNunavut Edit Auyuittuq National Park Auyuittuq means the land that never melts Iqaluit many fish in Inuktitut Pangnirtung is derived from Pangniqtuuq the place of many bull caribou Quttinirpaaq National Park Qutsiniqpaaq Quttiniqpaaq means top of the world in Inuktitut and Quttiniqpaaq in Inuinnaqtun Sirmilik National Park Sirmilik means the place of glaciers in Inuktitut and Hirmilik in Inuinnaqtun Ukkusiksalik National Park Ukkusiksalik means place of have cooking pots in Inuktitut and Utkuhikhalik in Inuinnaqtun Natsilik Kivalliq Ontario Edit Adjala Tosorontio Tosorontio is derived from the Huron Wyandot word meaning beautiful mountain and Adjala was the name of the wife of Chief Tecumseh Algonquin Provincial Park Named after the Algonquin Anishinaabeg people of Ontario Almaguin Highlands Derived from the words Algonquin and Magnetawan Assiginack Algoma District Atikokan Ojibwe for caribou bones Attawapiskat People of the parting of the rocks from the Swampy Cree Omushkegowuk chat a wa pis shkag 81 Brantford Named after Joseph Brant a Mohawk leader Cataraqui River Cayuga Named for the Cayuga people of Ontario Chinguacousy Consecon reportedly see Squire s Site archaeological dig Consecon Lake derived from either or some combination of lake of many pickerel fish con ho con or according to Rev Bowen P Squire water opening Khan ho Kharon however according to an Anishinaabe elder the name in Ojibwemowin means waters overtaking Couchiching Derived from the Ojibwe gojijiing meaning inlet Deseronto Named for Captain John Deseronto a native Mohawk leader who was a captain in the British Military Forces during the American Revolutionary War Eramosa Thought to be derived from the word un ne mo sah possibly meaning black dog dead dog or simply dog Esquesing Township Mississauga Anishinaabe word ishkwessin meaning that which lies at the end which was the original name for Bronte Creek Etobicoke The place where the alders grow from the word wadoopikaang in the Ojibwe language Fort Erie Iroquoian erige meaning cat Gananoque Origin unknown thought to be derived from Native languages for place of health or meeting place or water running over rocks Garafraxa Possibly derived from the word for panther country Iroquois Falls Named for the Iroquois people of Ontario Kakabeka Falls From the Ojibwe word gakaabikaa waterfall over a cliff Kaministiquia River Derived from gaa ministigweyaa an Ojibwe word meaning river with islands Kanata Mohawk word meaning village or settlement Kapuskasing Of Cree origin possibly meaning bend in river Kawartha Lakes An Anglicization of the word ka wa tha from ka wa tae gum maug or gaa waategamaag a word coined in 1895 by Martha Whetung of the Curve Lake First Nation meaning land of reflections in the Anishinaabe language The word was subsequently changed by tourism promoters to Kawartha with the meaning bright waters and happy lands Keewatin Algonquian for north wind Derived from either kiwehtin in Cree or giiwedin in Ojibwe Madawaska Named after an Algonquian band of the region known as Matouweskarini meaning people of the shallows Magnetawan Derived from the word for swiftly flowing river Manitoulin Island Manidoo Minis Spirit Island Manitoulin is the English version via French of the Old Odawa name Manidoowaaling which means cave of the spirit Manitouwadge From manidoowaazh in Ojibwe meaning cave of the spirit Manitowaning Manidoowaanhning place of the spirit s den Manotick Derived from Algonquin for island Matachewan Matawatchan Mattawa Meeting of the waters in Ojibwe M Chigeeng Michipicoten Big bluffs in Ojibwe Missinaibi Provincial Park Cree for pictured waters thought to refer to the pictographs found on rock faces along the river Mississauga Named for the native tribe of the Mississaugas Mississippi Mills May originate from Mazinaa bikinigan ziibi Algonquian for painted image river referring to the pictographs found on Mazinaw Lake Moosonee Derived from the Cree word moosoneek meaning at the Moose River Muskoka Named for a First Nations chief of the 1850s Chief Yellowhead or Mesqua Ukie Napanee Nassagaweya Derived from the Mississauga word nazhesahgewayyong meaning river with two outlets Neebing Niagara Iroquois in origin meaning uncertain Nipigon May have originated from the Ojibwe word animbiigoong meaning at continuous water or at waters that extend over the horizon Nipissing From the Anishinaabe term nibiishing meaning at some water 82 Nottawasaga River Derived from the Algonquin words for Iroquois and river outlet Ohsweken Oneida Nation of the Thames Onondaga Ontario Opasatika river lined with poplars Opeongo derived from the Algonquin word opeauwingauk meaning sandy narrows Oshawa from the Ojibwe term aazhaway meaning crossing to the other side of a river or lake or just a cross 82 83 Otonabee From the Ojibwe term Odoonabii ziibi Tullibee River Otonabee comes from the words ode which means heart and odemgat that comes from boiling water It translates into the river that beats like a heart in reference to the bubbling and boiling water of the rapids along the river Ottawa To buy from the word adaawe in the Anishinaabe language adapted as the name of the Odawa people Penetanguishene believed to come from either the Wyandot language or from the Abenaki language via the Ojibwa language meaning land of the white rolling sands Petawawa From Algonquin meaning where one hears the noise of the water Powassan From the word for bend Pukaskwa National Park Saugeen Ojibwa language Zaagiing meaning outlet Shawanaga Scugog Derived from the Mississauga word sigaog which means waves leap over a canoe Shuniah named after the Ojibwa word zhooniyaa for money or silver Sioux Narrows Sioux Lookout Tecumseh Tehkummah Temagami from the Anishinaabe word dimiigami deep water s 82 Timiskaming from the Algonquin language Temikami or Temikaming meaning deep waters Toronto from an Iroquoian language but of uncertain derivation 84 Another story says it is derived from the Mohawk word tkaronto meaning trees standing in the water Tuscarora Tyendinaga Derived from a variant spelling of Mohawk leader Joseph Brant s traditional Mohawk name Thayendanegea Wahnapitae from the Anishinaabe waanabide be shaped like a hollow tooth 82 Waupoos Ojibway for rabbit Wasaga Beach Derived from Nottawasaga as above Wawa Wawanosh Wikwemikong from the Anishinaabe Wiikwemkoong Bay of Beavers from Anishinaabe word Amik meaning beaver 82 Wyoming derived from the Munsee name xwe wamenk meaning at the big river flat Quebec Edit Abitibi Aguanish Ahuntsic district of Montreal Akpatok Island Akpaqtuq means come down or lowers itself in Inuktitut Amqui Arthabaska and County Reservoir Cabonga Reservoir Caniapiscau and River Hunting camp Regional county municipality Causapscal Chibougamau or Chibouagmou Chicoutimi End of the deep water in Innu or Cree Coaticook Derived from the Abenaki language meaning river near the pines Donnacona Named after Chief Donnacona 16th century Iroquoian Chief of Stadacona Lac Etchemin and town Gaspe also County Peninsula and Cape land s end in Mi kmaq Inukjuak Inugjuaq or Inujjuaq means The Giant Big Man in Inuktitut Kahnawake Kamouraska County Derived from the Abenaki language meaning birch bark here Kangiqsualujjuaq Kangiqsualujjuaq means the very large bay in Inuktitut Kanesatake Kawawachikamach Naskapi Nation Quebec Lac Kenogami Kenogami means long water in Montagnais Riviere Koksoak Quqsuaq means Yellowish in Inuktitut Kuujjuaq Kuujjuaq means the great river in Inuktitut Lac Manitou Derived from the Algonquian name Gitchi Manitou which in their culture describes their Creator the Great Spirit Maniwaki Maskinonge and County Matane Matane County Matapedia County Reservoir and Riviere Matawin Magog Derived from Memphremagog see Lake Memphremagog below Manicouagan River where there is bark Mascouche Megantic County also Lake Abenaki for lake trout place Lac Memphremagog Meaning beautiful waters or vast expanse of water in Abenaki Missisquoi County Missisquoi is an Abenaki tribal name Nastapoka Islands Oka Pohenegamook Pontiac County Name of the famous 18th century Ottawa leader Pontiac Quebec City and County and Province The narrowing of the river refers to the point where the St Lawrence River passes Quebec City Rimouski and County Saguenay Salluit Salluit means the thin ones in Inuktitut Sayabec Shawinigan Portage at the crest in Algonquian Squatec Tadoussac Temiscamingue County Temiscouata County Abenaki for bottomless or extremely deep all around Torngat Mountains Tuurngat means Spirits or sometimes Evils in Inuktitut Yamachiche Yamaska CountySaskatchewan Edit Assiniboia Derived from the name of the Assiniboine First Nation people Cypress Hills Early Metis hunters who spoke a variation of French called the hills les montagnes des Cypres in reference to the abundance of jack pine trees In the Canadian French spoken by the Metis the jack pine is called cypres Kamsack From a First Nation word meaning something vast and large Katepwa Likely derived from the Cree word Kahtapwao meaning What is calling Kenosee lake Kinistino It has been suggested that the word Kinistino is equivalent to running water in Cree This has not been able to be verified Lake Athabasca From Woods Cree adapaskaw where there are plants one after another Manitou Beach When the world was created the Great Spirit Aasha Monetoo gave the land to the indigenous peoples Ministikwan Lake Cree Nation Mistusinne Derived from the Plains Cree word mistasiniy meaning big stone which resembled a sleeping bison Moosomin From the Cree word for the mooseberry or high bush cranberry Nipawin Derived from the Cree word meaning a bed or resting place which referred to a low lying area along the river now flooded by Codette Lake Nokomis Named for Hiawatha s grandmother in Longfellow s epic poem chosen in 1906 by postmistress Florence Mary Halstead Ogema Omega is Greek for end being the end of the rail line Two communities had the same name so two letters were switched to become Ogema Ogema is an Anishinaabemowin word meaning Chief Piapot Named for Chief Piapot meaning Hole in the Sioux or One Who Knows the Secrets of the Sioux Saskatoon Derived from the Cree word misaskwatōmin meaning Saskatoon berry a fruit native to the area Sintaluta The name comes from a Lakota word meaning tail of the red fox Wadena Named after Wadena Minnesota the origin of some early settlers of American descent which was named after Chief Wadena an Ojibwe Chief Wakaw A Cree word meaning crooked referring to nearby Wakaw Lake Wapella Meaning either water underground or gently falling snow where wape means to snow in Dakota Waskesiu From the Cree word meaning red deer or elk Also resort town of Waskesiu Lake Wawota From the Dakota words wa ota which means much snow Wa means snow oda or ota means lots Yukon Edit Aishihik Lake and Aishihik River meaning tail hanging down in Southern Tutchone Alsek River Dezadeash Lake Ivvavik National Park Ivavik means birthplace or nursery in Inuvialuktun Klondike and Klondike River Derived from the Han language word for hammer stones used to fix salmon nets Tr ondek Kluane Lake and Kluane National Park and Reserve from Lu an meaning big fish in Southern Tutchone Klukshu and Klukshu River Kusawa Lake Nisutlin River Tagish Lake and Tagish Yukon from the name of the language and people Tagish Kwan Takhini River Tatshenshini River Teslin Lake Teslin River and Teslin Yukon from the Tlingit Deisleen long narrow water Vuntut National ParkSee also Edit Indigenous peoples of the Americas portal Canada portalMain article Index of articles related to Indigenous Canadians Indigenous mapping List of English words from indigenous languages of the Americas List of placenames of indigenous origin in the Americas List of place names in New England of aboriginal origin List of Indian reserves in Canada List of Indian reserves in Canada by population List of First Nations band governments List of First Nations peoples Classification of indigenous peoples of the Americas List of Chinook Jargon place namesNotes Edit Marc Lescarbot in his publication in French 1610 used the term caribou Silas Tertius Rand included the term Kaleboo in his Mi kmaq English dictionary in 1888 References Edit Bruce G Trigger and James F Pendergast 1978 Saint Lawrence Iroquoians in Handbook of North American Indians Volume 15 Washington Smithsonian Institution pp 357 361 Jacques Cartier 1545 Relation originale de Jacques Cartier Paris Tross 1863 edition page 48 Alan Rayburn 2001 Naming Canada stories about Canadian place names 2nd ed ISBN 0 8020 8293 9 University of Toronto Press Toronto p 13 Mithun Marianne 1999 The Languages of Native North America Cambridge Cambridge University Press Bright 2004 78 Rayburn op cit p 14 Afable Patricia O and Madison S Beeler 1996 Place Names In Languages ed Ives Goddard Vol 17 of Handbook of North American Indians ed William C Sturtevant Washington D C Smithsonian Institution pg 191 Bright 2004 583 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Fromhold 2001 Indian Place Names of the West Place Renaming in Edmonton A Constant in the City s History About the Bow River Bow Riverkeeper Archived from the original on 2010 05 18 Retrieved 9 April 2012 a b https calgaryguardian com whats in a name part i online Dempsey 1969 Calgary Herald May 29 1889 p 8 Indigenous Ward Naming Knowledge Committee City of Edmonton City of Edmonton Retrieved 14 February 2023 Holmgren and Holmgren 1972 Aubrey p 159 History of James Mowat Edmonton Bulletin May 6 1897 https webdocs edmonton ca InfraPlan NameAddress minutes amp agendas 2 20February 2015 202006 20Meeting 20Minutes pdf bare URL PDF a b Aubrey p 172 a b Aubrey p 173 Indigenous Place Names of Edmonton Edmonton Open Data Portal online Indigenous Place Names of Edmonton Edmonton Open Data Portal online a b c d e f g Harrison Place Names of Alberta volume 3 Renamed Maskekosihk Trail part of City s ongoing reconciliation commitment CBC News 12 Feb 2016 MacEwan Fifty Mighty Men Aubrey p 210 Ministik Aubrey p 215 Aubrey p 217 Moose Lake Alberta https wheatlandcounty ca locations namaka other places names of indigenous origin in the area are Blackfoot West End and Crowfoot a b Michaelides Bathroom Book of Alberta History p 144 ePodunk Notikewin Retrieved March 17 2010 Cree dictionary notinikewin Retrieved March 17 2010 Oldman River Historica Canada website Peace River BC Geographical Names William Peter Baergen Pioneering with a Piece of Chalk p 414 Hugh A Dempsey Indian Names for Alberta Communities p 16 Wikipedia Piikani First Nation On Top ca Skoki Mountain Edmonton Bulletin 3 Jan 1881 18 April 1885 16 Sept 1897 Harrison Place Names of Alberta Volume 3 Michaelides Bathroom Book of Alberta History p 142 Online Etymology Dictionary caribou Kavanagh Maureen ed 2005 1985 Hinterland Who s Who Canadian Wildlife Service EC ISBN 0 662 39659 6 archived from the original on 24 December 2013 retrieved 21 December 2013 BC Names entry Gataga Mountain Klemtu BC Geographical Names Kwadacha River BC Geographical Names Caribou Hide community BC Geographical Names Nadina River BC Geographical Names Nakusp village BC Geographical Names New Brunswick What s in a Name Acadian History Maliseet History Acadian Ancestral Home About Quispamsis Sicamous district municipality BC Geographical Names Toodoggone River BC Geographical Names Government of Canada Indian and Northern Affairs Canada New Brunswick AINC INAC gc ca Archived from the original on 13 June 2011 Retrieved 19 April 2009 Central Quebec School Board Places amp Origin of Names Archived from the original on 25 October 2008 Retrieved 19 April 2009 Petitcodiac River Etymology a b Seary Article Place Names Archived from the original on 25 July 2002 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Makkovik Nunatsiavut com Archived from the original on 3 November 2005 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Mi kmaq Organizations and Land Claims Pepamuteiati nitassinat As we walk across our land Innuplaces ca 1 May 2007 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Nunatsiavut Government Nunatsiavut com Archived from the original on 11 February 2010 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Sheshatshiu Archived from the original on 20 April 2006 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Torngat mountains Archived from the original on 11 December 2005 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Town History Archived from the original on 12 August 2011 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Labrador West Archived from the original on 25 October 2005 Retrieved 16 February 2022 Paskal Cleo 10 June 2006 The Toronto Star Harbouring a host of delights Toronto Star Retrieved 19 April 2009 Mi kmaq Online org Words Pronunciation Jipugtug with audio clips MikmaqOnline org Retrieved 20 April 2009 MapleSquare com Halifax s History Jipugtug or Chebucto MapleSquare com Archived from the original on 4 February 2009 Retrieved 20 April 2009 Gov ns ca Transportation Public Works New highway named Cobequid Pass Government of Nova Scotia Retrieved 19 April 2009 Acadian Cajun Genealogy amp History Exile Destination Cobequid Acadian Cajun com Retrieved 19 April 2009 TownOfPictou ca History of Pictou By historian Ron Wallis TownOfPictou ca Archived from the original on 19 March 2009 Retrieved 19 April 2009 Pictou Antigonish Regional Library County place names PARL ns ca Retrieved 19 April 2009 Tatamagouche com Local Histories Pugwash Tatamagouche com Archived from the original on 25 February 2009 Retrieved 19 April 2009 Sympatico MSN Travel Nova Scotia s Northern Shore Pugwash Sympatico MSN ca Archived from the original on 18 April 2009 Retrieved 19 April 2009 Museum Government of Nova Scotia 511 Windsor Lowlands Museum gov ns ca Archived from the original on 22 May 2009 Retrieved 19 April 2009 Berger Jonathan Terry Thomas 2007 Canoe Atlas of the Little North Erin Ont Boston Mills Press pp 109 111 115 ISBN 978 1 55046 496 2 OCLC 78038334 Also OCLC 174417835 a b c d e Freelang Ojibwe Dictionary Rayburn Alan Place Names of Ontario Toronto University of Toronto Press 1997 p 258 Bright 2004 508 9 Further reading EditRayburn Alan 1 March 2001 Naming Canada stories about Canadian place names University of Toronto Press ISBN 978 0 8020 8293 0 Bright William 2004 Native American Placenames of the United States Norman University of Oklahoma Press Central Quebec School Board Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Geographical Names of CanadaResources EditThe composition of Indian geographical names illustrated from the Algonkin languages Trumbull J Hammond James Hammond 1821 1897 Hartford Conn s n 187 http www arcticplacenames ca Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of place names in Canada of Indigenous origin amp oldid 1149772034, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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