Back to Home Page
Back to Index

CONSERVATION CORNER
(For the week of December 3, 2007)
Native American Place Names Book Just In Time For Christmas
by James L. Cummins

Christmas shopping is not my most favorite thing to do. It interferes with hunting when it is at its best. And I always have a hard time finding gifts for that "hard to buy for" friend or relative.

Sometimes a book – the right book – is a good decision. And for some, it is truly a great decision.

The book, Native American Place Names in Mississippi, is that great decision. It is an easy and fun read.

I know it is not the right thing to do, but I always laugh listening to a new reporter on television butchering some of the names of Mississippi's towns: Biloxi, Nita Yuma, Pascagoula, Yazoo, Tishomingo, Yalobusha, Tallahatchie, Itta Bena, Tchula, Anguilla and Noxubee just to name a few.

These and hundreds of other place names of Native American origin are scattered across Mississippi. These colorful designations given by the Choctaw, Chickasaw and other tribes, contribute significantly to the state's sense of place. Yet, the general public remains unaware of exact meanings, tribal roots and even correct pronunciations.

Native American Place Names in Mississippi collects and translates the almost 600 Native American place names currently used in the state. Author Keith A. Baca has created the first reference book that identifies the meaning behind the names of large rivers and towns as well as tiny creeks and rural communities. And for the benefit of travelers, Baca also provides the location of each listed place.

A bonus feature of this book is a series of sidebars titled "The Native American Connection," which present Indian history, legends and myths associated with various towns, villages, streams and other sites in Mississippi that bear indigenous names.

Because the spelling of the majority of Mississippi's Indian place names reflects corruption from the source language, Baca documents the original Indian words from which the current names are derived.

Scholarly but appealing to a broad readership, Native American Place Names in Mississippi will fascinate and enlighten all who are curious to learn about this intriguing aspect of the state's geography and heritage.

Keith A. Baca is an independent researcher and writer living in Starkville, Mississippi. Formerly an archaeologist with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, of which my father-in-law, Arch Dalrymple, was a former board member, is also the author of the award winning Indian Mounds of Mississippi: A Visitor's Guide.

Native American Place Names in Mississippi (ISBN 1-57806-954-8, unjacketed cloth; 1-57806-955-6, paper) is published by the University Press of Mississippi. One may order a copy (cloth) for $32.00 by calling (601) 432-6205.