As we reach the end of 2020 (and who isn’t glad about that!)…we come to December 28th. Now, that’s an important date in our Boller family for a couple of reasons.
The first is that on December 28th in 1983, my youngest daughter, Jennifer Marie, was born! Happy Birthday, Jenny McAtee!
The second reason December 28th is on our calendar is because, as proud Iowa citizens, this is Iowa Statehood Day.
So, in honor of Iowa Statehood (1846 – 2020), let me share a bit of Iowa history with you. History that actually pays tribute to the original Iowans . . . our Native American brothers and sisters who were walking these beautiful prairies long before we Europeans arrived.
As you know, the State of Iowa only goes back to the mid-1800’s. Prior to that time, for countless centuries, numerous Native American tribes roamed the prairies we now call our home. Some historians list dozens of individual tribes who, at one time or another, lived here. But, in order to simplify our story, we’ll look at just two tribes today, focusing on the language they used, because it’s the Native American language that is the origin of our state’s name:
Iowa.
Tradition tells us that Iowa, in Native American tongue, means “Beautiful Land.” As early as the mid-nineteenth century, this phrase was being used to describe our new state. Here’s an example from N. Howe Parker’s classic book (1855), Iowa As It Is, written to encourage Easterners to come explore the Heartland . . .
Now, while that “Beautiful Land” phrase sounds really nice, most historians don’t believe it’s accurate. In truth, depending on what Native American tribe you study, you can find a couple of strong options on what a person truly meant when he/she exclaimed, ‘I-o-wah!’ Our first meaning comes from the Ioway tribe, and the second from the Sauk tribe. Join me as we look at both options, and then maybe, you can decide.
The Ioway Tribe “Ayuhwa” option.
At first glance, the Ioway tribe offers the most obvious solution to our question. But, here’s the rub. The name, Ioway, is not a word this Native American tribe used for themselves. Actually, the word the Ioways used (their autonym) is Báxoje (bah-kho-je – with alternate spellings: pahotcha or pahucha), which translates into “Grey Snow.”
Sadly, the word Ioway derives from an ethnic slur given to the Báxoje people by the Sioux nation; a word pronounced ayuhwa, which means “sleepy ones.” Early European explorers often adopted tribal names from these ethnonyms (ethnic nicknames), not understanding that these words were often very derogatory in nature, differing greatly from what the native people actually called themselves. Thus, ayuhwa (Iowa) is not a Báxoje (Ioway) word but is actually a slam against the very people Iowans wanted to honor.
Sadly, if we Iowans today are left with only this first option, neither “sleepy ones” or “grey snow” will look very impressive when appearing on our state’s license plate! Gosh, thank goodness the Báxoje tribe wasn’t jided about being “yellow snow!”
But wait! There’s hope!
Which now brings us to the much better Option #2 . . .
The Sauk Tribe “Kiowa” option.
The Sauk (Sac) tribe, which has long been associated with the Fox/Meskwaki tribe, had a word they used frequently, pronouncing it, kiowa. According to Sauk history, when Black Hawk, the celebrated war chief, made a raid west of the Mississippi, he crossed the Great River at or near where Davenport now is, and subsequently designated that spot as kiowa — meaning “this is the place where we cross.” Apparently, this word, kiowa, was in frequent use by the Sauk and Fox tribes when the first settlers came into the state.
Taylor Pierce, who was connected with the early trading-post at Fort Des Moines and who spoke the Sauk and Fox languages fluently, said that when the braves were moving southward from their excursions in the north, they would say: “Posse (pony) pukachee (traveling or moving) kiowa (place) sepo (river).” That is, they and their ponies were going across the river at a designated “this is the place” location.
Historian L.F. Andrews, in 1896 adds this to the kiowa argument…
The Sauks were especially partial to the use of the letter “k.” It occurs three times in “Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah,” the Sauk name of Black Hawk. So also of other chiefs, as Mahaska, Keokuk, Poweshiek, Winneshiek, Waupekuk, Kishkekosh, etc. In a list of over two hundred names of chiefs appearing on the books at the trading post of Fort Des Moines, all but twenty contain this guttural “k” (sound) once or more. It is also a marked characteristic of the languages of the Chippewas and Pottawattamies.
As further evidence of the correctness of this interpretation of the word, an old chief of the Musquakie (Meskwaki/Fox) or Tama County Indians, was very recently asked the meaning of the word “Iowa” or “Kiowa.” His answer was,”This is the place.” For instance, if a party of Indians were traveling, when camping-time came, and the chief found a suitable spot, he would exclaim, “Kiowa,” and the party understood it was a good place to camp.
Iowa: A Field of Dreams. This is the Place.
So, I guess it’s your choice. Some might say Iowa is fly-over country (kiowa), or a place for sleepy ones (ioway) to take a nap. But quite honestly, those who say those kind of things just haven’t spent any time here, walking through I-o-wah! – the Beautiful Land we have inherited from our Native American brothers and sisters. For me, I’m a lot like Shoeless Joe Jackson, in W.P. Kinsella’s Iowa-based novel that became the very best baseball movie ever, Field of Dreams.
After 70 years of Iowa living, I still ask…
Is this heaven?
And the whispering wind, blowing gently over my home in Iowa City, replies…
No . . . It’s Iowa! THIS is the place!
Happy Birthday, Iowa! Here’s to many more!
Want to read more about Our Iowa Heritage? Click here…
'As I See It' Archives 