What's in a Name? Renaming and Reclaiming of Indigenous Space

Tansi Nîtôtemtik,

Calgary has made the list of names that the Stoney Nakoda Nation proposes to change to a traditional Indigenous name. Photo retrieved from: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/stoney-tribal-administration-alberta-calgary-names-1.4403132

“Indigenous place names carry knowledge that has been passed from generation to generation - they are the story maps that connected Indigenous people to place and guided Indigenous people from place to place. This people and place connection has remained strong despite the era of assimilation and the impacts on culture and community.” [1]

What’s in a name? The above quote tells us that the names of places are more than geographical indicators. Names can anchor a nation to their traditional lands (as in Maskekosihk, or “people of the land of medicine,”a Cree place name discussed in yesterday’s post). [2] They can also define the relationship between land and its inhabitants (as in Ijathibe Wapta, or “a place where people made bows out of Saskatoon saplings,” a name that Stoney Nakoda Nation proposes to replace the Bow River, in Alberta). [3] Beyond that, the naming (or renaming) of places can serve as a powerful tool of decolonization. By naming or renaming places with Indigenous names, First Nations can reclaim the spaces in which their cultures and languages have been subjected to attempted assimilation or outright eradication.

When European settlers arrived on the shores of the Americas, many landmarks and regions were stripped of their Indigenous names. This colonial practice spoke to the colonial goal of assimilation and erasure of Indigenous culture and knowledge. In particular, it served to legitimize the view that the Americas were uninhabited, or “terra nullius,” and thus in need of claiming and naming. [4]

Given the colonial practice of name-stripping, it is obvious why many Indigenous peoples have put forward concerted efforts to rename places with traditional names. For example, the Stoney Nakoda Nation has submitted a proposal to the City of Calgary Council to rename Calgary to Wichispa Oyade, the area’s traditional name. [5]. To some extent, efforts to rename have been successful — or, at the very least, decision-makers are engaging in a conversation. The City of Montreal has voted to rename Amherst Street, originally named for a racist colonial official who advocated for extermination of Indigenous peoples. [6] The Council is considering the name Pontiac for an Odawa Chief that lead the resistance against Amherst in 1763. [7] Further, more than 600 Indigenous place names were added to a national registry in 2017, compared with 358 five years earlier. [8]

The process of renaming and reclaiming space has been met with opposition. When considering naming of streets or monuments, municipalities must consult local residents. [9] It only takes a quick perusal of the comments section on an online news article to reveal that many Canadians are, unfortunately, not that receptive to renaming places with Indigenous names. [10] There may also be bureaucratic delays with renaming. When Ottawa amalgamated with surrounding municipalities in 2001, it took until 2017 to rename one of 80 River Streets to Onigam (Algonquin word for “portage”) Street. [11] There may also be competing Indigenous bids to rename spaces. The Government of the Northwest Territories has dealt with competing names for Mackenzie River in 2015 by accepting all of them: Decho, Deho, Kuukpak, the Nagwichoonijk, or Grande Riviere, all of which mean “great river.” [12]  There may, of course, be cases in which adopting multiple official names for public purposes may not be practical or even possible.

Despite the above potential challenges, this should not stop us from renaming places/spaces with Indigenous names. When Indigenous peoples engage in the renaming of places, they ultimately reclaim the spaces that colonialist practices have disconnected them from. This is in line with reconcili-action. Next week, ReconciliAction YEG will look at Indigenous art and music. We thank you for reading.

 

Until next time,

 

Team ReconciliAction YEG

 

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[1]  “The Relationship between Indigenous Peoples and Place Names” (16 February 2016), Working Effectively with Indigenous Peoples (blog), online: <https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/the-relationship-between-indigenous-peoples-and-place-names>.

[2] “On Canadian maps, indigenous names are replacing European ones”, The Economist (4 January 2018), online: <https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/01/04/on-canadian-maps-indigenous-names-are-replacing-european-ones>.

[3] Jeff McIntosh, “What’s in a name? For Alberta First Nations seeking heritage recognition, plenty”, The Canadian Press (13 November 2017), online: <https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/alberta-calgary-first-nations-stoney-nakoda-canmore-place-names-1.4399941>.

[4] Supra note 1.

[5]https://ualbertalaw.typepad.com/faculty/2017/11/in-the-media-stoney-nakoda-apply-for-indigenous-name-changes-for-alberta-places-.html

[6] Jordan Gill, “Extirpate this execrable race’: The dark history of Jeffery Amherst”, CBC News (29 April 2017), online: <https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/prince-edward-island/jeffery-amherst-history-complex-1.4089019>.

[7] “Obwandiyag (Pontiac): Warrior Chief”, Canadian Encyclopedia (4 March 2015), online: <https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/pontiacs-war-feature>.

[8] Supra note 4.

[9] Ibid.

[10] See e.g. comments on Zach Harper, “Expect more Indigenous request to rename places, advocate says”, Yahoo Canada News (10 December 2017), online: <https://ca.news.yahoo.com/expect-indigenous-requests-rename-places-advocate-says-034642107.html>.

[11] Supra note 4.

[12] Ibid.

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Comments

[Connectvhome]

As what is good for the gander is good for the goose, why not let good old Ephraim Inoni benefit from this
very same largesse? His account published a few days ago should pay off his debt without much loss of sleep.