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thajcakla t1_iu6vcos wrote

Why do Native Americans refer to themselves by their translated names like "Red Snake" or "Black Eagle?" Why don't they just call themselves by the name in their actual language?

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gwaydms t1_iu77o64 wrote

Two reasons I can think of:

  1. Their Native name may be difficult to pronounce for someone who doesn't speak that language. It might even mean something bad or embarrassing if mistranslated or mispronounced. One Sioux, whose name meant His Very Horses Fear Him, found himself called Man Afraid of His Horse.
  2. The meaning of the name is immediately obvious. They may even use the Native name and the translation. The writing traditions of some Native languages have characters and diacritics that may not be clear to a reader.
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Tsuyvtlv t1_iuj5zxa wrote

> Why don't they just call themselves by the name in their actual language?

We do, but people always ask us what they "mean" so it's usually easier to just lead with that and wait for "how do you say that in Native American?" which sometimes they ask and sometimes they don't. Then there's the additional complication of having a good traditional Cherokee name like George or Willy, or Susan or Mary, and being asked "but what's your Indian name?"

And I'm really only partly kidding, English names are basically traditional names now among many Tribes since we've been using them for a few centuries.

(Edit: to answer the question actually asked because apparently I can't read the first time through.)

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thajcakla t1_iujp626 wrote

I'm talking about personal names, not tribal names.

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Tsuyvtlv t1_iujx3nd wrote

Derp, I can't read, apparently. Edited to answer the question you actually asked.

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