OUR RIVER NAMES. 
By J. Ropway, F.LS. 
There are many difficulties in identifying the meanings of our river-names, 
mainly on account of corruptions. By studying the old charts and records 
however I have done something, but before going further I must mention that 
nothing can be considered as more than a probability. I must also mention that 
Arawak is generally intended where not otherwise stated. 
As an example of gross corruption we have the Arabian Coast ; it is Aroabisce, 
from the creek of that name, and infront of it is Tiger Island. The meaning 
is Jaguar’s creek or haunt. The termination bisce is also found in Berbice which 
should be Beri-bisce the place for beri fish ; the Dutch wrote it Berbeeshes. 
Corentyne should be Coretini, hawk-river, the termination ini being the same as 
uni and wini, meaning water. Cabra, Capura, and Cabura answer to para and 
bisce, all applied like uni to mean creek. 
This word for water is contained in a great number of river names, and may be 
compared with the English Avon and the North American Mississippi, the 
father of waters. Another word for water is para or bara connected with Para 
and the great lake Parima, possibly also Pomeron which was once spelt 
Paurooma. Rain is unipero, seen in the names Winipero, Wenipero and Waini- 
pero. In the last we have Waini which was once spelt with a G either Guiania 
or Guina. It ean be easily seen that here we have Guiana, the watery country, a 
very suitable name. In this connection I may state that the Spanish G is gener- 
ally sounded like W or H and we must try to soften our Guiana as far as possible, 
for the Arawak words are all soft, e.g. Laluni, Maduni. 
Something must be said here of word-making among the Arawaks and Caribs. 
I have not gone far enough to get more than a peep, but even this fills me with 
admiration. No doubt word- building has taken place in every language, but 
here it seems to be the grand principle. For example, there is a set of words 
built up from the root aca or cara which apply to things bright and shining, fiery, 
red or bright orange, and even fierce and bloody. Acu is fiery, Ara, the macaw, 
Aeara, fishes with brilliant spots, Aroa, the fierce jaguar, Arowta, the red howling 
monkey, Caricuri, gold, Carre-carre, the fiery flower spike of Norantea, Baracara, 
the red bead tree, Sipari, the sting-ray, Yakari, the cayman, Arinda, the electric 
eel, and Biara that fish with spiky teeth which suggests horrible mangling to 
anyone it attacks. As I shall show presently all these forms are represented in 
the river-names. 
Every river-name means something connected with the economy of the Indian ; 
he ignores the beauty of a landscape, even flowers are nothing to him. Primarily 
he is a huntsman, and the game animals are necessarily of the first importance. 
It follows therefore that the value of a place depends on what is to be got from it. 
And here we have the reason why most of the rivers are named from fishes, birds 
and beasts. A fair number however refer to houses and settlements, cassava, 
maize and pine-apple grounds, and the palms suitable for ttchihang the house. 
