WYOMING - The name "Wyoming" is not local to the West; it is a Munsee Delaware word meaning "at the big river flat," originally used to describe a valley in Pennsylvania. While the State official name was imported, the towering granite peaks and vast grasslands of the region have carried authentic Indigenous names for millennia.
Wyoming was a vital crossroads and home for numerous nations, most notably the Eastern Shoshone (Newe), the Northern Arapaho (Hinono'eino), the Crow (Apsáalooke), the Cheyenne (Tsitsistas), and the Lakota.
A Sacred High-Altitude Landscape
To the region's tribes, Wyoming's geography was a map of spiritual power and survival. The mountains were not just landmarks but "High Places" where ancestors and spirits resided, while the basins provided essential wintering grounds.
Regional and Cultural Designations
There was no single Native American word for the modern borders of Wyoming. Instead, the land was understood through the territories of the nations that steward it:
- The Newe (Eastern Shoshone): Their name translates to "The People." They have lived in the Wind River region for generations. They referred to the area around the Wind River Mountains as their heartland, a place where they harvested resources and sought spiritual guidance.
- The Hinono'eino (Northern Arapaho): Meaning "Our People," the Arapaho moved across the vast plains of eastern Wyoming. They viewed the land as a sacred gift, with the mountains serving as a sanctuary for prayer and fasting.
- The Apsáalooke (Crow): The Bighorn Basin and the mountains of northern Wyoming were central to the Crow world. They referred to the Bighorn Mountains as a place of refuge and a source of powerful visions.
- The Tsitsistas (Cheyenne) and Lakota: These nations frequented the eastern grasslands and the Black Hills (Pahá Sápa), which they considered the sacred center of the world.
Significant Indigenous Place Names
The legacy of these cultures is embedded in Wyoming's most famous landmarks. Yellowstone, the world's first national park, was known to the Shoshone as Teewinot, meaning "Many Pinnacles," and to the Crow as a place of "burning water" or "land of the geysers." The Grand Tetons were also referred to as Teewinot by the Shoshone, a name that honors their jagged, sky-piercing peaks.
The Wind River—a name used by the modern reservation—was traditionally known to the Shoshone as Tu-ze-pah. One of Wyoming's most sacred sites, Devils Tower, is known to the Lakota as Matȟó Thípila (Bear Lodge) and to the Cheyenne as Na Kovehe, both names reflecting ancient stories of its creation. Additionally, the Bighorn River was known to the Crow as the Iisaxpúatahche-atche, or "Large Bighorn Sheep River," due to the abundance of the animals in the surrounding canyons.
A Living Heritage
Today, the Wind River Reservation is the home of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho tribes, who continue to maintain their sovereign traditions and languages. The high plains and mountain valleys of Wyoming remain a site of active pilgrimage and cultural practice for many Indigenous people.
By recognizing these original names—from Bear Lodge to Many Pinnacles—we honor a history that began long before the State borders were drawn, rooted in the enduring connection between "The People" and the high desert landscape.