Iowa: a native American word?

[Mehmet Sekerci]

I heard from someone that the name "Iowa" is actually native-American
originated. Can anyone confirm this and whether if it is true, could someone
tell its meaning?

[Thomas Kavanagh]

The Iowa (or Ioway) Indians are, along with the Oto and Missouria, one of
the Chiwere Siouan speaking tribes.

tk

[Brian H. Zygo]

The Iowa Tribe of Kanasas has a Rez in northeast Kansas right next to
a Sac & Fox Rez.

Brian Z.

[Xina]

ms0...@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Mehmet Sekerci) wrote:
>I heard from someone that the name "Iowa" is actually native-American
>originated. Can anyone confirm this and whether if it is true, could someone
>tell its meaning?

I am not sure how accurate this is, but looking in a Lakotah dictionary
Iowa was said to mean "The Yawning People". Having lived here for 20 odd
years (on and off) I can say thats a pretty accurate summing up of life in
Iowa! *grin*

[Lance Foster]

I am an Iowa (or Ioway). The state got its name from the Iowa River, which
was named after my tribe who lived on it at the time. It was called River of
the Iowas, then the Iowa River.

The name Iowa (or Ioway) comes from the Dakota Ayuxba, supposedly meaning
sleepy or yawning. It is said to be a joking reference to the way the Iowa
got rid of visitors who overstayed their welcome: "(stretch) (yawn) sure is
getting late".

Our name for ourselves is Baxoje (spelled different ways) and referring to a
time when we camped with other tribes on an ashy sandbar and the wind blew
over us a fine cover of gray ashes from the campfires. We have also called
ourselves Chikiwere, the People of this Place.

I have a site called "The Native Nations of Iowa" under construction, which
talks about the tribes who lived/live in Iowa and which also talks about
Native placenames in Iowa.

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~lfoster/

"You cannot teach those who will not learn"
--
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Lance M. Foster |>>>----------|> NATIVE NATIONS OF IOWA <|----------<<<
lfo...@iastate.edu | http://www.public.iastate.edu/~lfoster/homepage.html
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[Ron Petersen]

ms0...@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Mehmet Sekerci) wrote:

>I heard from someone that the name "Iowa" is actually native-American
>originated. Can anyone confirm this and whether if it is true, could someone
>tell its meaning?

From the Iowa tribe.