Native American Names (girl)

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2004
Native American Names (girl)
11
Tue, 06-14-2005 - 2:41pm

What do you think of this list?


Ayasha
Kaya
Minya
Nascha
Nituna
Oneida
Shania (can I still use that after Twain, or is it too attached to her)
Tansy
Tallulah


Any other suggestions?


Oh, BTW, I'm 1/2 Cherokee and 1/4 Chicktaw, so that's why the Amer Indian names :)

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2004
Wed, 06-15-2005 - 12:36am

Hi,

I work on a Res. Here's a couple of names I've heard...and by the way, it's nice to see Native names beyond Dakota, Winona & Cheyenne ;)

Malena -- Anglicized version of a name from an Eastern Washington tribe (Grand Ronde maybe?)
Alaqua -- pronounced el-a-QUA -- accent on the last syllable (used for an adorable little girl who's about 1 now.)

A lot of the other names are family names, but are not Native, and the ones that are native tend to be animal names (Owl, for example).

From your list, I like...

Ayasha & Minya the most. Minya is really cute!!

Nascha reminds me of gnashing teeth.
Oneida is, I think, the name of a company that makes plates & stuff.
Shania -- too Shania Twain, unfortunately.
Tansy -- cute, but the name of a plant that is poisonous to cows.
Tallulah -- Love this, but Demi Moore named one of her daughters this--if that doesn't bother you, then go for it!
Nituna -- hmmm...too much "tuna" and close to Neptune.

Yeah...I know I have wierd associations with names.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 06-15-2005 - 11:42am
I like Tansy and Kaya best from your list.
Avatar for devonelisa
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 06-15-2005 - 12:52pm

If you're 1/2 Cherokee then why aren't you using Cherokee names?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 03-03-2004
Wed, 06-15-2005 - 12:59pm
First off, I'm not pg or ttc, just tossing some names around.
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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2004
Wed, 06-15-2005 - 3:30pm

I think going for a Native American name is a nice idea to honor your heritage. Unless you are living on a reservation in an area where most are of the same Tribal heritage, I wouldn't think naming strictly according to that tribe's tradition would be a big deal. The res I work on is in the Pacific Northwest, and Tribal members on the res are often a mix of not only that Tribe, but also other tribes, Hawaiian, Alaskan Native, white, Hispanic, etc. Plus, of course, with the government's policy of cramming lots of tribes onto itty bitty reservations, a lot of the tribes have intermixed (not to mention have had their languages taken away) so there are a lot of tribes from all over represented on the reservation. I think that's probably pretty similar to how a lot of reservations are elsewhere.

Sorry to get on my soapbox! just a couple more cents from me. :)

Avatar for devonelisa
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 06-15-2005 - 4:50pm


Right.

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iVillage Member
Registered: 06-01-2005
Wed, 06-15-2005 - 8:22pm

my cousins little girls name is JENAI (pronounced JEN-i) its supposed to me "one who is loved by many" or something similiar to that. i think its pretty.

**Amanda (sept. sprouts 2003)**

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-11-2004
Thu, 06-16-2005 - 1:19am

And I'm sorry but it's just so patronizing for you to assume that you are the final authority on all things naming. Many people have many different reasons for naming a child. So what if they want to recognize a broader or a more narrow connection through a child's name? I think that is what the original poster intended, at least that is my interpretation, and what I was responding to, and seemed to be evident in her subsequent response to you as well.

Believe it or not, a name may be perfectly legitimate to someone even though it is not spelled the "correct" way (according to whose standards???) or because it was "made up" (every name comes from somewhere, and so again, according to whose standards?) or because it was not originally intended to be a name (yet again, according to whose standards?). As I stated above, many people have many different ways of connecting names to cultures, backgrounds, families, and the myrid other reasons they may take into account when choosing a name. Please respect those differences of opinions and judgment. I realize that perhaps your intent is to educate, which is fine. I may, however, have given more credence to the points you were making were it not written in such a condescending and self-righteous manner. As it is now, I am inclined to throw out the good points along with the bad simply because of the tone of the entire post, or should I say lecture.

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-19-2004
Thu, 06-16-2005 - 4:04pm
Hiya. My grandmother is 1/4 cherokee and 1/4 blackfoot... her name is unique and i love it alot. It's Nehayva... (nuh-hay-va) and it means heavenly. :-)
iVillage Member
Registered: 06-20-2005
Mon, 06-20-2005 - 5:55pm
My vote's for Kaya :-)

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