{"id":9728,"date":"2023-11-29T13:40:11","date_gmt":"2023-11-29T12:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/?p=9728"},"modified":"2023-11-29T13:40:11","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T12:40:11","slug":"how-the-mississippi-river-get-its-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aboutriver.com\/how-the-mississippi-river-get-its-name\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Mississippi River Get Its Name"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Mississippi River is one of the most well-known rivers in the United States, and its name has become synonymous with the nation’s history and culture. But how exactly did the river get its name? The answer lies in the Native American culture and language of the area.<\/p>\n

For centuries, the area around the Mississippi River has been home to many Native American tribes, most prominently the Dakota Sioux, Chippewa and Ojibwe. Although the tribes spoke different languages, they all share a common name for the river that eventually overshadowed all other names: Mississippi. The word originates from the Anishinaabemowin language, which is the language of the Ojibwe tribe. It literally translates to “big river” in the Ojibwe language.<\/p>\n

The name Mississippi is believed to have first been used by the Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto in the 16th century. By the time French colonizers arrived in the area, they had adopted the Ojibwe naming convention.In 1682, in his book “History of the Louisana Territory”, René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle formally referred to the river as the Mississippi. It has been the official name of the river ever since.<\/p>\n

The use of the Ojibwe name for the Mississippi River reflects the deep reverence the Native Americans had for the power and mystery of the river. It was an integral part of their lives, used for transportation, hunting and fishing, and more. This reverence for the river, and the language with which to express it, is echoed in the early European accounts of the area, where the words “majestic”, “mighty”, and “grand” were all used to describe the river. <\/p>\n