To: Alan Smithee who wrote (107262 ) 8/7/2005 12:26:26 AM From: Constant Reader Read Replies (1) | Respond to Did you hear that a lawsuit will be filed in federal court on Monday demanding that the following states change their names? It seems that some are concerned about the misuse of Native American tribal names, misinterpretation of Native American languages, and that the competitive nature of these states is unheathly. (They are constantly being ranked against all other states or some other states and there are almost always winners and losers.)Alabama: May come from Choctaw meaning “thicket-clearers” or “vegetation-gatherers”Alaska: Corruption of Aleut word meaning “great land” or “that which the sea breaks against” Arizona: From the Indian “Arizonac,” meaning “little spring” or “young spring” Arkansas: From the Quapaw Indians Connecticut: From an Indian word (Quinnehtukqut) meaning “beside the long tidal river” Illinois: Algonquin for “tribe of superior men” Indiana: Meaning “land of Indians” Iowa: Probably from an Indian word meaning “this is the place” or “the Beautiful Land” Kansas: From a Sioux word meaning “people of the south wind” Kentucky: From an Iroquoian word “Ken-tah-ten” meaning “land of tomorrow” Massachusetts: From Massachusett tribe of Native Americans, meaning “at or about the great hill” Michigan: From Indian word “Michigana” meaning “great or large lake” Minnesota: From a Dakota Indian word meaning “sky-tinted water” Mississippi: From an Indian word meaning “Father of Waters” Missouri: Named after the Missouri Indian tribe. “Missouri” means “town of the large canoes.” Nebraska: From an Oto Indian word meaning “flat water” North Dakota: From the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies” Ohio: From an Iroquoian word meaning “great river” Oklahoma: From two Choctaw Indian words meaning “red people” South Dakota: From the Sioux tribe, meaning “allies” Tennessee: Of Cherokee origin; the exact meaning is unknown Texas: From an Indian word meaning “friends” Utah: From the Ute tribe, meaning “people of the mountains” Wisconsin: French corruption of an Indian word whose meaning is disputed Wyoming: From the Delaware Indian word, meaning “mountains and valleys alternating”; the same as the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania Rhode Island cease and desist calling itself Rhode Island and henceforth be known only as Island. Pennsylvania. The Heinz family is rumored to be in negotiations with the state, although talks have bogged down over their suggested new name, Pickle .
