When European explorers in the 16th through the 18th centuries encountered the Caddo peoples in the vicinity of the Red and Ouachita rivers in southwest Arkansas, they found a settled, sophisticated community, with family homesteads spaced generously apart to allow for farming. The state of Virginia was named after England's Queen Elizabeth I, who was also known as "The Virgin Queen." The name "Alaska" comes from the Aleut word "Alyeska" which means "great land." The site is marked now by a sign on Highway 64 at a boat ramp to Lake Dardanelle, which covered the site when it was created. ", ALSO READ: Most Americans Will Struggle to Pronounce These 50 Town Names, Joined United States: Dec. 7, 1787 (1st state to join). Both refer to the Indigenous peoples of America. These states include New York, Vermont, and Florida. ", Joined United States: June 1, 1792 (15th state to join), There are several different theories regarding the name "Kentucky," though it has a Native American origin. Numerous spelling variations have been recorded in accounts of tribal names, reflecting both loose spelling traditions, and the effects of transliteration of names into the variety of European languages used in the area. Many Native Americans experiences with European explorers and American homesteaders are painful, but they must be considered. After Florida was captured by Gen. Scott, the Creeks were removed beyond the Mississippi River. The origin of the state name is up for debate with a number of possible origins. Now, the area is home to the Arkansas Post National Memorial near Gillett, run by the National Park Service. The Quapaws lived in the villages of Harker and Tahlequah during the nineteenth century. The native name for the Arkansas River was Napeste, but with further expansion of European exploration the name Arkansas was appointed the official name as it meets with the Mississippi River in the state of Arkansas. The following tribes have been in possession of Arkansas since the time of the original inhabitants. The fact that we're still here, thriving today is miraculous and it shows . [1] Of the 3,240 enrolled tribal members, 892 live in the state of Oklahoma. ", Joined United States: Dec. 29, 1845 (28th state to join). Ponca Tribe members are the only federally recognized tribe in Arkansas today. [26] [27] [28] Similar and supporting oral history is well documented and supported by other Dhegiha tribes. Because of the lack of federally recognized tribes in Arkansas, there is a dispute over land and resources. There are a lot of obscure places with strange names that people have a hard time with like these 50 town names most people will struggle to pronounce. by Mika | Oct 6, 2022 | Tribes It is not certain how the state of Arkansas got its name. The Osage language program hosted and organized the gathering, held at the Quapaw tribe's Downstream Casino. One version claims the name comes from the Iowa river, which was named for the native American Iowas (or Ioways), who were a Sioux tribe. Joined United States: Dec. 28, 1846 (29th state to join), The story behind Iowa's name is a bit complicated. They arrived in the late 17th century and settled along the Arkansas River. From Arkansas writer Dee Brown's classic best-seller Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: An Indian History of the American West. Choctaw - Wikipedia Some say it is from the French, while others claim it is a Native American word. It was used for the Colorado River because of the abundance of red sandstone soil in the region. Governor Clark and his brother Pierre Chouteau signed a treaty with the Quapaws in 1819 that gave the Americans the vast majority of the tribes land. Historians estimated their number at European encounter as 5000. Their town houses, or public structures, are referred to as longhouses. According to accounts from the explorers, the French were invited to the village of Kappa, some miles north of the mouth of the Arkansas River, and were offered a calumet, or peace pipe, to smoke, an important ceremony for forging alliances. Without the presence of Native American tribes, the state of Arkansas would be much different today. Dictionary entry details ARKANSAS (noun) Sense 1 Meaning: A state in south central United States; one of the Confederate states during the American Civil War Classified under: Nouns denoting spatial position Synonyms: AR; Ark. The following passages are taken from the public domain Catholic Encyclopedia, written early in the 20th century. During years of colonial rule of New France, many of the ethnic French fur traders and voyageurs had an amicable relationship with the Quapaw, as they did with many other trading tribes. Their Choctaw language is a Western Muskogean language. "Texas" comes from the Native American Caddo word "teyshas," which means "friends" or "allies." The Quapaws, a tribe of Indians from the Mississippi River valley, were located near the confluence of the Mississippi and Arkansas rivers during the early French exploration. While the area was nominally ruled by the Spanish from 17631789, following French defeat in the Seven Years' War, they did not have many colonists in the area and did not interfere with the French. They were in charge of maintaining peace and making payments to Native Americans. Because of the land, tribes were able to access all of the resources on which they could depend. Native American History in Arkansas | Arkansas.com Their name properly is Ugakhpa, which signifies "down-stream people", as distinguished from Umahan or Omaha, "up-stream people". The other possible meanings for "Kentucky" that derive from the Iroquois language are: "meadow," "prairie," and "the river of blood. John M. Odin was the pioneer Lazarist missionary among the Quapaw; he later served as the Catholic Archbishop of New Orleans. Historians and archeologists estimate that Native Americans have inhabited the lands now comprising the state of Arkansas for almost 14,000 years. Denali is one of the most high-profile cases of official mapmakers disregarding the names given to natural landmarks by Native Americans but it is far from the only one. Slave trade in the Americas was highly profitable for Europeans, as was the slave trade in Africa. The state had the highest rate of slaves who were criminals or debt collectors among the states. The French relocated the Arkansas Post upriver, trying to avoid flooding. Names and Identity: The Native American Naming Tradition The tribes possessed the resources Europeans were looking for. Trail of Tears Over the next few years, the Choctaw, Chicasaw and Creeks were forced to move westward on foot, often in chains and with little or no food and supplies. The United States government forcibly removed Native Americans from their homes in order to relocate white settlers. Recent name studies indicate that names from nature are making a comeback in the United Kingdom with names like Olivia, Ruby, and Lily. Missouri means "town of the large canoe." ALSO READ: Can You Answer These Real Jeopardy! Slave labor was used to pick cotton, and cotton pickers were employed in the industry. South Dakota, North Dakota and Hawaii were the last states to give Juneteenth any formal recognition as an important date. Tattooing was also common in both sexes. Carolina, derived from the Latin word for Charles (Carolus), was named by King Charles II of England to honor his father, King Charles I in the 17th century. We will need to use our strength until Hindman is thoroughly whipped in northern Arkansas. The Mississippi era, beginning around 900 AD, was characterized by further developments in farming and trade, with the Parkin site, now a state park, showing a settlement of several mounds and dozens of houses. During the Civil War, the Confederacys use of slaves to produce cotton was a major factor. The final act of removing the Cherokees came to an end in 1839, when they were brought west from India. The state has one of the most diverse collections of Native American crafts and art in the country. The new owners of the land sought a new name for the territory, and in recognition of the people who originally occupied it, named it Indiana. Before passage of environmental laws, toxic waste was deposited that has created long-term hazards. La Salle negotiated a peace with the tribe and formally "claimed" the territory for France. "The Native Americans who spoke Algonquian and lived in the Ohio Valley called the Quapaws Arkansas, which means "south wind. Sarrasin (alternate spelling Saracen), their last chief before the removal, was a Roman Catholic and friend of the Lazarist missionaries (Congregation of the Missions), who had arrived in 1818. Trade with the French became common for the tribe, and in 1686, a fur dealer named Henri de Tonti established a trading post at the Quapaw village of Osotouy in order to buy pelts from them. Native (since they are native to those lands) and American because that is the word to describe both the northern and southern continents in this hemisphere. Whatever its origins, the name Arkansas is unique among the states, and it has a long history. Native Americans were removed from Arkansas by the state in the nineteenth century, and the state has been impacted ever since. Hawaii and Alaskas names are derived from words describing the lands in the language of the native people who inhabited those areas before the arrival of Europeans. There were four villages for each of the four tribes. A number of distinguished Indians, including General Stand Waitie and Col. E. C. Boudinot, served in the command. In the face of direct adversity, Native people were able to continue their traditions and pass them down from generation to generation. Watie is remembered at a National Park Service site, as one of the leaders of the Confederate 2nd Cherokee Mounted Rifles. Tonti arranged for a resident Jesuit missionary to be assigned there, but apparently without result. The most popular belief is that Arkansas is a corruption of the French word Arcansas, meaning downriver people. The French were the first Europeans to settle in the area, and the Arkansas River was an important waterway for them. No correlation with gun bearing Iroquois running the Quapaw into Arkansas along with the Omaha, Ponca, Osage and Kaw is described by historic or modern Quapaw sources, and appears to be an entirely modern conjecture by scholars which is unsupported by the Quapaw. The word Arkansas is derived from the French word for the Quapaw people, a Native American tribe who lived in the area now known as Arkansas. The Siouan word is a plural. November is Native American Heritage. One theory maintains that "Hawai'i" is derived from the word "owhyhee," which means homeland in native Hawaiian. Kansas was named for the Kansas River, which runs through the state. The tribes trade routes through Arkansas gave Europeans access to goods they could not obtain without them. ", The Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma and The Tar Creek Project, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quapaw&oldid=1154346388, Federally recognized tribes in the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles needing additional references from June 2013, All articles needing additional references, "Related ethnic groups" needing confirmation, Articles using infobox ethnic group with image parameters, Articles containing Miami-Illinois-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, In 2018, Infinite Productions produced a documentary titled, This page was last edited on 11 May 2023, at 21:26. It is also apparent in many city names. A straight road was cut through the Cherokee reservation in Little Rock, and the tribe was brought there by water. [4], The Quapaw are federally recognized as the Quapaw Nation. Anishinaabemowin is the language of the Anishinaabeg or Three Fires Confederacy made up of the Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi whose villages dotted Lake Michigan's coast and whose presence is still felt throughout . The land included land east of the Mississippi River and north of the Arkansas River. The largest Indian tribe in Arkansas is the Quapaw tribe. Joined United States: Nov. 2, 1889 (39th state to join). He died about 1830 and is buried adjoining St. Joseph's Church, Pine Bluff. In 1818. as part of a treaty negotiation, the U.S. government acknowledged the Quapaw as rightful owners of approximately 32million acres (13millionha), which included all of present-day Arkansas south and west of the Arkansas River, as well as portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma from the Red River to beyond the Arkansas and east of the Mississippi. In Hawaii and North Dakota, Juneteenth has been a day of observance since 2022 but is not considered a state holiday. Learn about the indigenous people of Arkansas, Tribes and Bands, agencies, and reservations through photos, videos, and historical records. [18], Other efforts at language preservation and revitalization are being undertaken. Shenandoah was the name of a Native American chief. We are the Land: Native American Views of Nature | SpringerLink The Quapaw tribe was forcibly relocated to Oklahoma in the 1800s, but many members of the tribe returned to Arkansas in the early 1900s. In the early 20th century, an account noted that the Dhegiha language, a branch of Siouan including the "dialects" of the Omaha, Ponca, Osage, Kansa, and Quapaw, has received more extended study. [34] Many Quapaw women and French men married and had families together. Native Americans in Colonial America. No mystery as to how the Tar Heel State got its name. To the Illinois and other Algonquian tribes, they were known as 'Akansea', whence their French names of Akensas and Akansas. The ia suffix means "state of" and comes from the Greek language. The Algonquians called them "Akansa," joining their own A- prefix (used in front of ethnic groups) to the Kansa name (the same root . By using the FamilySearch Catalog, you can search for tribes and locations. In exchange for the territory, the U.S. pledged $4,000 ($76,000 in today's dollars) and an annual payment of $1,000 ($19,000 in today's dollars). The term Arkansas came from the Quapaw people, who live in the state. For decades, the Caddo, Quapaw, and Osage tribes of Oklahoma have all been located in Arkansas. A number of historians estimate that Native Americans have lived on Arkansas current lands since around 14,000 years ago. There are several theories of how America's youngest state got its name. ", Joined United States: Aug. 10, 1821 (24th state to join), The name Missouri originates from the Native American Sioux of the state called the Missouris. A a memorial window in the church preserves his name. Native American place names figure prominently as we move westward, in states such as Arkansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, and North and South Dakota. 11.9% or 24 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native. In addition, Quapaw language classes are held there.[21]. [23] Common features of this powwow include gourd dance, war dance, stomp dance, and 49s. Copyright 2023 Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, A Public Treasure: The Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park, (Video) Murfreesboro, Arkansas: A Gem of a Place, Discover intriguing El Dorado oil heritage, The South Arkansas Heritage Museum in Magnolia. These tribes were forced to migrate from their homes in present-day Oklahoma to Arkansas on the Trail of Tears in order to become part of Oklahoma. The lands in North America claimed by England in the 1600s were called "Virginia." Zenobius Membr, a Recollect father who accompanied the LaSalle expedition, planted a cross and attempted to convert the Native Americans to Christianity. The Quapaw tribe, a related Siouan tribe, is thought to have migrated to Arkansas. J.O. The tribes reservation is located in northeast Arkansas. Native American DNA Ethnicity on Ancestry: What Does it Mean? What does Arkansas mean? - Definitions.net The state of Arkansas was named for the Arkansas River. Because the tribes had a trade route through Arkansas that allowed them to trade goods with the Europeans, Europeans were able to trade with the tribes. The word York comes from the Latin word for city. To compile a list of how the states got their names, 24/7 Tempo reviewed information from state websites and online resources. ; Arkansas; Land of Opportunity Instance hypernyms: American state (one of the 50 states of the United States) The tribes were eventually forced to give up their lands as a result of the United States intervention. Arkansas Pictures and Facts - National Geographic Kids ", Joined United States: Jan. 29, 1861 (34th state to join), Kansas gets its name from the Native American Kaws or Kansa people, also a Sioux tribe. They renamed core Fabre as Camden. The modern descendants of this language group include the Omaha, Ponca, Osage and Kaw, all independent nations. Impact of Native American Removal | Teacher Resource Other possible origins include a combination of metztli ("moon"), xictli ("center") and the suffix -co ("place") and means "place at the center of the moon." In addition to the four established divisions already noted, the Quapaw have the clan system, with a number of gentes. The word "Arkansas" came from the Quapaw Indians, by way of early French explorers. Joined United States: July 10, 1890 (44th state to join), The name "Wyoming" is derived from the Delaware people's word "mecheweami-ing," meaning "at the big plains." French explorers learned of a sect of the Quapaw, a Native American tribe in the territory now known as Arkansas, from the Algonquians, who called the people akansa (most likely related to. The name "Montana" is based on the Spanish word for mountain, montaa, though it is not known who first used the name for the territory. Slave trade in Arkansas wasnt the only source of labor in the state, according to the states history. Only the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma are federally recognized in Arkansas today. Other meanings for "Missouri" include "those who have dugout canoes," "wooden canoe people," or "he of the big canoe. Where did the first Native Americans come from? They moved first to Texas and then to Oklahoma near the town of Binger, where the Caddo tribal rolls currently number about 5,000. You can practically glean the history of America in the names of all 50 states. [29], The Quapaw reached their historical territory, the area of the confluence of the Arkansas and Mississippi rivers, at least by the mid-17th century. After this happened, the government established a series of trading posts along the Arkansas River. The Catholic Encyclopedia noted the people had suffered from high fatalities due to epidemics, wars, removals, and social disruption. That population pressure on the tribe led to two forced treaties with the United States, in 1818 and 1824, by which their territory was reduced to a fraction and eventually consisted of a reservation in northeastern Louisiana. From a genetic standpoint, Native American means people who are descended from the original inhabitants of North and South American continents. Fr. As a result, the majority of Arkansas slaves were African. arkansas | Etymology, origin and meaning of the name arkansas by etymonline