3SS ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1954 



of Miracles," is called similarly Manitoosaakahikan, "spirit lake," that 

 is, dangerous or miraculous lake. 



Ontario.— This name is of Iroquoian origin appearing, for instance, 

 in Mohawk as kanyatariiyu, "nice lake," and as skanyatariiyii, "be- 

 yond the nice lake." The former is applied as a descriptive term to 

 Lake Ontario, the latter to the country beyond the lake. The famous 

 Indian, Handsome Lake, was called by the latter of these terms. 



Quebec. — The Huron name for Quebec appears twice in the 1632 

 Huron dictionary of Father Sagard-Theodat. The word is aton- 

 taregue, "where the heights of both sides meet together." The Abnaki 

 name is Kabek, from Kab, "to shut," and ek, "place." Hence, "shut 

 in place." The Abnaki name of Quebec first appears in the writings 

 of Samuel de Champlain, who visited the site in 1608, under the or- 

 thography Quebecq. Champlain's map gives it as Quebec. 



Saskatcheioan. — This province gets its name from the Cree Indians. 

 It is the name applied to the Saskatchewan River primarily. Rev. 

 F. J. Calais has analyzed it as Kisiskaatchiwan, meaning "swift river," 

 the first element being the common word for swift, said of a stream, 

 and -tchiwan meaning "river" or "current." Both the north and the 

 south forks of Saskatchewan River fit this description. 



Yukon. — The Wliite River in Alaska and Canada was discovered by 

 Robert Campbell of the Hudson Bay Co. and named White by him 

 because of its color. Schwatka says that the Tutchone Indians called 

 it Yukokon Heenah or Yukokon River. The Yuko is a river, tributary 

 to the Yukon from the south about 40 miles above the mouth of the 

 Koyukuk. The native name was reported by Tikhmenief in 1861 to 

 be Yukukakat, i. e., Yuku River. The name Yukon as applied to the 

 main river is of Athapascan origin and has been variously spelled 

 Youcon, Yucon, etc. The etymology is not known but it was possibly 

 applied by extension from the name of one of the headwater streams. 



