I'm currently learning about Utah's five main Indian tribes: Ute, Paiute, Goshute, Navajo, and Shoshone.
So I looked up a few places in Utah with Indian words to see what they mean.
Mt. Timpanogos is located in Utah County and is part of the Wasatch Mountains. Timpanogos means rock, canyon/ water mouth.
Wah Wha Mountains are located in Beaver and Millard Counties. Wha Wha means good clear water (I think that's why babies call water wha wha) :)
Hovenweep is near the Utah Colorado border and comes from a Paiute/Ute name that means desert valley.
Moab means mosquito (this is just a rough translation of the word, there is no exact meaning that is known) and comes from the Paiute word moapa.
Paragonah... well, no one knows exactly what it means, but it's a Paiute word that refers to the water supply.
When Mom saw the Paragonah meaning, she said, "That's an odd meaning... no one knows exactly what it means, but it refers to the water supply... That's the weirdest meaning I've ever seen!"
Me: "Mom! Paragonah doesn't mean all of that! I was just making the word clear."
Mom: "I know, I just felt like saying that."
Note to self:
Don't take mom seriously!
Ummm... when did that fictional conversation happen? :)
ReplyDeleteI think I want to start speaking Indian just so I can say Wah Wah!