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Canadian Etymologies

 

By Andrew Stuart

 

[Originally published by the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec in Transactions, Original Series, Volume 3 (1837)]

 

 

READ 2d MARCH, 1835.

 

CANADA, — pronounced by the French descendants Kanudaugh or Canadâ.

 

The Spanish Etymology of this name is admitted on all hands to be inadmissible.

 

It is said that the Europeans upon their first coming to this part of the continent being uniformly told by the straggling Indians, whom they met, that these natives were going to Canada or Canata, that is, to the village, were led to believe that such was the name of the whole country;— and this, I believe, to be the true origin of the name.

 

In many of the Indian tongues of this continent, the mode of compounding words differs from that generally used in the Latin and Greek languages.

 

A syllable is taken by the North American Indian from each of the words which constitute the elements of the compounded word.

 

Thus the word Ca-na-dâ contains probably a syllable taken from each of three words, which united convey the idea of a village.

 

The following Etymology of the Latin word Cadauer as given by an agreeable French traveller in his "Soirées de St. Petersbourg," will give a sufficiently accurate notice of the Indian mode of compounding words: — Carodata-Vermibus. Several other examples of the same mode of compounding Latin words is given by this writer;—as,

 

Magis-volo

malo.

Non volo

nolo.

Ccecus-ut-ire

Ccecutire.

Magis-aucte

Macte.

Uterque

unus alterque.

Negotior

ne-ego otiôr.

Oratio

os-ratio.

Nihil

ne hilum.

Nemo

ne homo.

 

The roots of the word Canada are to be found in the names of several Indian villages.—Thus, Kâ-na-wâ-ga, or Kaugh-na-Waugha, opposite Lachine, in Lower Canada, means the Village of the Rapids. There is in the Genesee Country—Kâ-na-dâ-gua—(Canadaigua) — where the last syllable probably conveys the notice of some peculiarity belonging to that spot or rather village.

 

In the Mohawk Country we have Ka-na-jo-harie; (Canajoharie), and I have no doubt that upon looking over a list of Indian names of places, one or more of these roots would be found, as in English names of places the concluding syllable ton, for toun, is often found; or poles in Greek names of places; or Ville in French ones, as Abbeville, &c. Mr. Duponceau, in the Transactions of the Phylosophical Society of Philadelphia, offers, in confirmation of this origin of the name Canada, the fact, that in the Translation of the Gospel of St. Matthew into the Mohawk tongue, by the celebrated Indian Chief, Brant, the word Canada is used in this sense.

 

QUEBEC. — The origin of the name Quebec, from the exclamation of a French sailor, on his ship turning Point Levy, is of the same stamp as that of Canada from the exclamation of a Spanish sailor.

 

But is the name Quebec an Algonkin word, as pretended by some, signifying "place of the Streights" ? At first sight, there are two reasons which would make me hesitate to believe that Quebec is an Algonkin word. The Algonkin is the softest of the Indian Dialects. Quebec is a dissyllable — the Indian names of places being generally compounds descriptive of some peculiarity of the place, are almost always polysyllables. Such will be found to be all the names of places in the Saguenay and the St. Maurice Counties, hereafter given from the Montagnais Indians, whose language is the Crée or Chippeweyan.— It is thought that it would not be possible to find any word in that language with a short abrupt termination like bee. Analogous in sound to the Chippeweyan names of places is the Huron name of Quebec, Tiatontarili, which does signify the place' of the Streights. One of the Roots of this last word is ontare, a Lake, whence is derived the name of Lake Ontario, signifying a great Lake. The village designated by the name "Quebec," was probably immediately above Cape Diamond, • where the St. Lawrence becomes exceedingly narrow. The older name of Stadaconi seems to have been applied to a village situated some where near the embouchure of the St. Charles, at the foot of what is now called the Côte d'Abraham.

 

I am inclined to believe that Quebec is a French name.

 

The termination Bec, is not unfrequently found in the names of places in Normandy, whence a great number of the first Emigrants to Canada came, signifying a Cape or Promontory.

 

Men abandoning their own country and settling in a new uncultivated one, are for obvious reasons, apt to transfer the names of places in the old country to their new seats, as is abundantly exemplified by any general map of North America: and the probability is, that the name of Quebec has been transferred from some, perhaps now, obscure place in Normandy to what is at present the Capital of British North America. This conjecture derives strong confirmation from the Seal of the Earl of Suffolk, one of the Captains of our Henry the Fifth, in his French Wars, having the word Quebec inscribed on it as we now write it.—(Edmonstone's Heraldry.) A place in France of this name was probably the scene of some of his exploits, and the village or town itself may have been given as a reward for the military exploits of this Captain.

 

The following are some of the notices of the Etymologies of these two words, extracted from other French writers.

 

La Baye des Chaleurs est la même que l'on trouve marquée dans quelques Cartes sous le nom de Baye des Espagnols, et une ancienne tradition porte que les Castillans y étoient entrés avant Cartier, et que n'y ayant apperçu aucune espèces de mines, ils avoient prononcé plusieurs fois ces deux mots Aca Nada, ici rien, que les Sauvages avoient répétés plusieurs fois aux François, ce qui avoient fait croire à ceux-ci, que Canada étoit le nom du Pays. (In a note at the bottom of the page.) Quelques uns dérivent ce nom du mot Iroquois Kannata, qui se prononce Cannada, et signifie un amas de Cabannes.—Charlevoiz, vol. 1, p. 9.

 

Et pour regard du nom de Canada tant célébré en Europe, c'est proprement l'appellation de l'une et de l'autre rive de cette grande Rivière, à laquelle on à donné le nom de Canada, comme au Fleuve de l'Inde, le nom du peuple et de la Province qu'il arrose. D'autres ont appelle cette. Rivière Hochelaga du nom d'une autre terre que cette Rivière beigne audessus de St. Croix (la petite Rivière St. Charles) où Jacques Cartier hyverna. Or jaçoit (encore que) que la partie du Nord audessus de la Rivière du Sa-guenay, soit le Canada du dit quartier, toutefois les peuples de Gaschepé et de la Baie de Chaleurs qui sont environ le 48e. degré de latitude sud de la dite Grande Rivière, se disent Canadaquea, (ils prononcent ainsi) c'est-à-dire Canadaquois, comme nous disons Souriquois et Iroquois, autres peuples de cette terre. Cette diversité a fait que les Géographes ont varié en l'assiette de la Province de Canada, les uns l'ayant située par les 50, les autres par les 60 degrés. Cela présupposé, je dis que l'un et l'autre côté de la dite rive est Canada, et par ainsi justement icelle Rivière en porte le nom, plutôt que de Hochelaga, ou de Saint Laurent.

 

Ce mot donc de Canada étant proprement le nom d'une Province, je ne puis m'accorder avec le Sieur de Belle-Foret, lequel dit qu'il signifie Terre; ni à peine avec le Capitaine Jacques Cartier, lequel écrit que Canada signifie Ville. Je croy que l'un et l'autre s'est abusé, et est venue la déception de ce que (comme il falloit parler par signes) quelqu'un des François interrogeant les Sauvages comment s'appelloit leur pays, lui montrans leurs villages et cabannes, ou un circuit de terre, ils ont répondu que c'étoit Canada, non pour signifier que leurs villages ou la terre s'appellassent ainsi, mais toute l'étendue de la Province. —Lescarbot, Livre 3, p. 229 et 230.

 

Québec, Ville Capitale et Evêché de la Nouvelle France, est située au 46e. deg. 55m. de latitude Sept. Sa longitude Est de 307 min. Il est apparent que l'Etymologie de son nom provient de ce que les Normands, qui étoient avec jacques Cartier, à la première découverte de la Nouvelle France, appercevant au bout de l'Isle d'Orléans, dans le sud-ouest, un Cap fort élevé qui avançoit beaucoup dans le Fleuve, s'écrièrent Quel Bec; et qu'à la suite du temps le nom de Québec lui a resté. Moreri se trompe donc fortement, lorsqu'il avance dans son Dictionnaire, que cette Ville se trouve ainsi nommée de la hauteur de sa Montagne, pareeque, dit cet auteur, les Sauvages appellent Québec, les hauteurs ou élévations de terrain. Ce qui me paroit faux, d'autant plus que m'étant informé par curiosité de l'étymologie de ce nom, aux Sauvages mêmes avec qui je me suis trouvé dans la suite et qui possédoient différentes langues barbares, ils me répondirent que le nom de Québec étoit François; qu'ils ne connaissoient aucun mot sauvage qui sonnât de cette façon, et qu'ils savoient bien, que les Algonquins, les Abénaquis, les Iroquois, et les Hurons appelloient autrefois cette Montagne Stadaka. C'est, sans doute, dans le tems que les François vinrent s'y établir en 1608. Cent ans après sa découverte, et qu'ils changèrent un petit amas de Cabannes Sauvages qui y étoient, en maisons beaucoup plus solides.[1]—Lebeau, 1er vol. p. 71 et 72.

 

Nous n'avons point de connaissance de l'étymologie de Québec. Les Sauvages qui y habitoient, lorsque les François vinrent s'y établir, l'appelloient Stadaka. On tient que les Normands qui étoient avec Jacques Cartier à sa première découverte de la Nouvelle France, appercevant au bout de l'Isle d'Orléans, dans le sud-ouest, un Cap fort élevé qui avançoit dans le Fleuve s'écrièrent Quel Bec, et qu'à la suite du tems le nom de Québec lui est resté. Je ne suis pas garant de cette Etymologic—Lapotherie, 1er. vol. p. 230.

 

Trouvant un lieu plus étroit de la Rivière, que les Ha-bitans du pays appellent Québec, j'y fis bâtir et édifier une habitation et défricher des terres et faire quelques jardinages.—Champlain, livre 3e. p. 115.

 

Ce fleuve (le St. Laurent) jusqu'à l'Isle d'Orléans, c'est-à-dire, à 110 or 112 lieues de la mer, n'a jamais moins de 4 à 5 lieues de large; mais audessus de l'Isle il se rétrécit tout à coup de telle sorte, que devant Québec il n'a plus qu'un mille de largeur; c'est ce qui a fait donner à cet endroit le nom de Quebeco, ou Québec, qui en langue Algonquine signifie rétrécissement. Les Abénaquis, dont la langue est une dialecte Algonquine, le nomment Quelibec, qui veut dire ce qui est fermé, parceque de l'entrée de la petite Rivière de la Chaudière, par où ces Sauvages venaient à Québec du voisinage de l'Acadie, la pointe de Lévi, qui avance sur l'Isle d'Orléans, cache entièrement le Canal du Sud; l'Isle d'Orléans cache celui du Nord, de sorte que le Port de Québec ne paroit de là qu'une grande Baye.— Charlevoix, 3e. vol. p. 70.

 

Comme le dit Jacques Cartier fut monté avec ses navires jusques à l'Isle de Bachus, nommée pour le jourd'hui Isle d'Orléans, étant un peu plus avancée vers l'Ouest, il rencontra un port fort commode, où il mouilla l'ancre, et lui donna le nom de St. Croix (La petite Rivière St. Charles) où pour lors les Sauvages avoient une habitation et un village nommé Stadaka ou Stadacone.—Laet, livre IL p. 46.

 

TADOUSSAC.—The first naval station of the French was the Island of Coudres, and the first settlement attempted at the mouth of the Saguenay. The Indian name of the Island of Coudres, (as I learn from the Hurons Indians of Lorette,) is t'hadoushah—expressing the idea of a tortoise encircled with running water. The settlement and the naval station near it would, in so extensive a country, be known by the same name, and with very slight corruption, it would become Tadoussac. It is not known by this name by the Indians inhabiting that quarter. They call it by a name, in their language, signifying the place where the waters issue.—I may add here, that the word Kakona, the name of an Island below Kamouraska, signifies, also, a tortoise.

 

SAGUENAY.—The Indians of this River do not know it by this name. It is probably a Huron word, as I find a Bay of this name at the foot of Lake Huron. The Montagnais name for this River is Mat-cha-se-be, (Mississippi.) It is remarkable that we find this name in such a variety of places separated by great distances.

 

The following is a List of Indian names in the cree toungue, from Tadoussac to Lake St. John, and thence by the River Assuapmousoin to the most northern line of waters to the head waters of the River St. Maurice to Three Rivers: —

 

Chicoutimi River, Signifying further on it is still deep.

Tsinogomitsisch Lake, Long lake

Kasushikeoomi Lake, Lake of clear water

Pashikaouinanishdusshihi, River of Alder

Koushpigan, Signifying a place which is ascended

Metabishouan River, The place where the course of the water ends

Ouiguatshouan River, Do you see the Falls there? A carrying place must be crossed

Ouiguatshganish River, A small ascent

Assuapmousoin River, Place where the Elk is laid wait for

Péribonea River, The Curious River

Mistassini River, The Large Rock

Nicouta River, Swampy places

Metawenanish River, The Crooked River

Chacanaka Lake, The Rocky Lake

Temiskaming Lake, Very Deep Lake

Micouashah River, Red Carp River

Ash Katsi Lake, The Rocky Lake

Kapistetsouin Lake, The Lake of Foam

Tsimouskoumino Shapaigan, The Lake of the Old Man

Kaouashikami, The Lake of Clear Water

 Miscashi, The Point of Rock

Ouashoutaoucka Lake, Sand Banks

Metabellottine, The River of Winds

Kapemitsigama, Cross Lake

Koushapashiganushipi, The River of Juggling

Caribash River, of the Ribband

Raman River, Vermillion

Kaouibushka River, Burnt

Uakapah-ushtik Rapid, The Crooked Rapid

Mishtniash, The Large Point

Pakouapaustik, Flat Rapid

Tutushepi or Nabot River, Milk

Mishtaruéaushipi, River, The great Tail of the Beaver

Ushabatshuan, The current too strong to be passed

Ashlorogami River, Place where the Canoes are made

Utsaht ushipi, River of Rats

Pé-o-a-busk, Carrying place of Iron

 

For the following Etymologies of the names of places in the Southern Peninsula of the St. Lawrence and of Quebec, I am indebted to the Journal kept by Mr. Hamel, of his Exploring Survey of the District of Gaspé, in 1833:—

 

Cascapédiac, corrompu de Sâkpédeak, forts courants. Caribou, Caribou, (this Canadian word is therefore of Micmac origin.)

 

Gaspé, altered from Kespèque, bout de la pointe de terre.

 

Matapédiac, volume d'eau qui descend d'une grande marre.

 

Paspebiac, Pipsiquiak, Batture fendue.

 

Portage, Portage, (a French word adopted by them; they must have originally had one of their own. Is it forgotten? this is a curious circumstance.)

 

Québec, Rivière qui paroit fermée.

 

I do not see any thing in the Etymology just given of "Quebec" to alter the conclusion previously stated on this head.

 

The terminating syllable of "Quebec", it must be admitted, is not at variance with the phonetic analogies of the Micmac tongue, indeed, is in entire accordance with it, even with the very name of the tribe.

 

But the modern name of Quebec must have been given by its Indian inhabitants,—and the Micmacs were never, so far as we know, in possession of this part of the country.

 

That the Micmacs should have confounded the French name "Quebec" with the Huron name already given, and transferred the signification of the latter to the former would not be surprising.

 

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[1] Le Beau arrived at Quebec on the 16th June, 1729, and left the country in March, 1731. He appears to have been employed whilst here, as a Clerk in the office of the Intendant.

 

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