Wikipedia says that the word Mississippi comes from Messipi, the French rendering of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe or Algonquin) name for the river, Misi-ziibi (Great River). This is by and large the accepted version.
I have an alternate theory. The Anishinaabe are Indo-Americans and are migrants who branched out from Dravidian tribes at some point in the misty past. Their language has many Tamil remnants and hence, it might help to analyse their place names using Tamil.
Let's take Mississippi. When examined with Tamil goggles, Mississippi feels like MUTHSIPPI or MUTHU SIPPI. Now Muthu means pearl and Sippi is Oyster. So MUTHU SIPPI just cues 'PEARL OYSTERS'.
The sceptic mind might dismiss this claim as far-fetched. But let's study the Mississippi state. One of the rivers in Mississippi is called the PEARL RIVER. And the Mississippi river has a rich history of being a lead source for pearl farming.
Given this startling coincidence, is it possible that Mississippi was MUTHU SIPPI?
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Sunday, December 16, 2012
How Canada got its name.
Anglia, Hochelaga, Norland, Superior and Victorialand were some of the names considered before some wise men chose Canada as their country's name in February 1867. Wikipedia adds that the name Canada originated around 1535 from the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word Kanata meaning "village", "settlement", or "land"; another contemporary translation was "cluster of dwellings".
To me, Canada has always sounded like an Indian word. The Wiki explanation kind of solved an old puzzle in my head. However, I do wish to draw your attention to a remarkable coincidence. The Sanskrit word 'Kanda' which means 'branch, chapter or cluster' seems totally synonymous with the Iroquoian 'Kanata'. Kanda is of vedic vintage and has been in currency since god-knows-when. The Indian sub-continent was often referred to as Bharata Kanda. So is it possible that Kanda gave rise to Kanata which in turn gave us 'Canada'? Me thinks, YES. As the 'Kanda' usage somehow feels more appropriate than the small land mass sense conveyed by 'Kanata'.
To me, Canada has always sounded like an Indian word. The Wiki explanation kind of solved an old puzzle in my head. However, I do wish to draw your attention to a remarkable coincidence. The Sanskrit word 'Kanda' which means 'branch, chapter or cluster' seems totally synonymous with the Iroquoian 'Kanata'. Kanda is of vedic vintage and has been in currency since god-knows-when. The Indian sub-continent was often referred to as Bharata Kanda. So is it possible that Kanda gave rise to Kanata which in turn gave us 'Canada'? Me thinks, YES. As the 'Kanda' usage somehow feels more appropriate than the small land mass sense conveyed by 'Kanata'.
How Saskatchewan got its name.
Saskatchewan is Canada's fifth largest province. It takes its name from the Saskatchewan river. Legend has it that Saskatchewan means 'swift flowing river' in the Cree Indian language.
My take: Saskatchewan is a prarie province with more than 50% forest land. The -wan suffix in the name seems of Sanskrit origin. Van in Sanskrit means forest which kind of fits the profile of the land. Further, 'Kutch' in Sanskrit means 'island' and 'sas' cues 'six'. So Saskatchewan means 'the forest with six islands'. My view is the six islands in reference are the six great tribes - Algonquins (Algonquin), Atikameks (Atikamekw), Cree (Cree), Inuit (Inuktitut), Montagnais (Innu), and Naskapi (Naskapi). The only way to nail this hypothesis is to study the connection between the Cree language and Sanskrit.
My take: Saskatchewan is a prarie province with more than 50% forest land. The -wan suffix in the name seems of Sanskrit origin. Van in Sanskrit means forest which kind of fits the profile of the land. Further, 'Kutch' in Sanskrit means 'island' and 'sas' cues 'six'. So Saskatchewan means 'the forest with six islands'. My view is the six islands in reference are the six great tribes - Algonquins (Algonquin), Atikameks (Atikamekw), Cree (Cree), Inuit (Inuktitut), Montagnais (Innu), and Naskapi (Naskapi). The only way to nail this hypothesis is to study the connection between the Cree language and Sanskrit.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
How Ottawa got its name.
Ottawa is the capital of Canada. Originally christened Bytown, it was renamed as Ottawa in 1855. Ottawa gets its name from the Ottawa river which in turn takes its name from the Ojibwe tribe 'Odawas' who happened to be located near the river. Historians somehow seem to think that 'Odawas' means 'traders' and hence that's become the officially sanctioned etymology for Ottawa.
I have a slightly different take. Yes, Ottawa owes its existence to Odawas. But 'traders' just doesn't seem logical. Ancient tribes usually name themselves after geographical markers and not their occupation. Here was a river side tribe who also indulged in trading. Why would they call themselves traders? Wouldn't they call themselves, the river people?
If for a moment, we were to assume that the Ojibwes were long-lost nomadic Dravidian tribes from India, then we'll be in a position to solve this jigsaw more elegantly. 'Odai' in Tamil means 'river'. And -va is an Indian suffix to cue origin (the Pandavas, for example, are 'those who were beget by Pandu'). So Odaiwa will mean 'river people'. And that's how I think Ottawa got its name.
I have a slightly different take. Yes, Ottawa owes its existence to Odawas. But 'traders' just doesn't seem logical. Ancient tribes usually name themselves after geographical markers and not their occupation. Here was a river side tribe who also indulged in trading. Why would they call themselves traders? Wouldn't they call themselves, the river people?
If for a moment, we were to assume that the Ojibwes were long-lost nomadic Dravidian tribes from India, then we'll be in a position to solve this jigsaw more elegantly. 'Odai' in Tamil means 'river'. And -va is an Indian suffix to cue origin (the Pandavas, for example, are 'those who were beget by Pandu'). So Odaiwa will mean 'river people'. And that's how I think Ottawa got its name.
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