January 24, 2009

Native names aren't stereotypical

I recently wrote about the "indigenous" name Evolet in 10,000 B.C. This phony-sounding name got me thinking, so I looked up some Native baby names. Here are some of the ones I found:

Abey
Aleshanee
Anoke
Aponi
Bly
Chilali
Chimalis
Deslin
Elan
Elu
Helaku
Istas
Jacy
Kachine
Koko
Makya
Mitexi
Motega
Namid
Nodin
Olathe
Pilan
Sahale
Sakari
Sakima
Shako
Taborri
Tainn
Takoda
Tayen
Tyee
Wyanet
Wyome
Yuma

Can you tell which names are male which are female? Probably not. That's because indigenous languages don't necessarily follow the same patterns as English. Girls don't get feminine names like Lisa, Maria, or Evolet and boys don't get masculine names like Tom, Dick, or Harry.

For more on 10,000 B.C., see The Best Indian Movies.

Below:  "My parents liked the names Amelie, Bernadette, and Celine because they sound so pretty and French and feminine. But I'm glad they chose to name me after my aunts Evelyn and Violet. Besides, I like Evolet because it reminds me of Eve."

1 comment:

dmarks said...

I can't say I've ever encountered any of those. "Olathe" of course is a city in Kansas. It is said to be named from a Shawnee word for "Beautiful".

"Dakota" and "Winona" are relatively-common Native names, I think.