INDIANA - The name "Indiana" literally means "Land of the Indians," a title given by settlers to describe a territory that remained a stronghold for Indigenous nations long after the eastern coast had been colonized. However, for the people who lived there, the land was known by names that reflected its lush forests and vital river systems. It was the ancestral home of the Miami (Myaamia), the Potawatomi (Bodéwadmi), the Shawnee, and the Delaware (Lenape).
To these nations, Indiana was not a frontier, but a sophisticated landscape of permanent villages, agricultural fields, and extensive trade routes.
A Crossroads of Forest and Prairie
Indiana's geography—where the Great Lakes forests meet the eastern edge of the tallgrass prairie—supported several powerful Algonquian-speaking nations:
- The Myaamia (Miami): The Miami are the original inhabitants of much of central and northern Indiana. Their name means "Downstream People." They built their capital, Kekionga (modern-day Fort Wayne), at the strategic portage between the Maumee and Wabash rivers.
- The Bodéwadmi (Potawatomi): Occupying the northern third of the state and the Lake Michigan shoreline, their name means "Keepers of the Fire." They were skilled in both forest and water travel, viewing the lakes and dunes as a sacred landscape.
- The Shawnee: While they ranged across the Ohio Valley, the Shawnee had significant towns in southern and central Indiana. Their most famous leader, Tecumseh, and his brother, the Prophet, established Prophetstown near the Tippecanoe River as a center for Indigenous resistance.
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The Lenape (Delaware): After being pushed from their eastern homelands, the Lenape established "The New Homeland" along the White River in central Indiana during the late 1700s.
Regional and Cultural Designations
Indigenous groups defined the Indiana landscape by its waterways, which served as the primary highways for trade and diplomacy:
- The Wabash River: Known to the Miami as Waapaahšiki Siipiiwi, meaning "The River that Shines White" or "White Shimmering Water," referring to the limestone bed in the upper part of the river.
- The Ohio River: Known to the Shawnee and Iroquois as the "Great River," it served as the southern boundary of the Indiana world.
- Lake Michigan: To the Potawatomi, this was a "Great Water," a source of life and a connection to their kin in Michigan and Illinois.
Significant Indigenous Place Names
The map of Indiana is a living archive of the Miami and Potawatomi languages. Muncie is named after the Munsee clan of the Delaware. Kokomo is named after a Miami leader, and Anderson is named after the Delaware leader William Anderson.
The city of Mishawaka is a Potawatomi word believed to mean "Place of Rapids." Wakarusa is another Potawatomi name, often associated with a legend about "knee-deep water." Winamac is named after a Potawatomi chief, meaning "Catfish." The Tippecanoe River derives its name from the Miami word Keatapithkon, meaning "buffalo fish hole." Even the Maumee River is a corruption of the name "Miami."
A Living Legacy
Today, the Miami Nation of Indiana and the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians continue to protect their heritage and maintain a sovereign presence. The Eiteljorg Museum in Indianapolis and historical sites such as Prophetstown State Park serve as reminders of the enduring connection between "The People" and the land.
By recognizing the origin of Waapaahšiki Siipiiwi and the legacy of Kekionga, we acknowledge that Indiana's identity is not just a colonial label, but a reflection of the "Land of the Indians" that has been stewarded for thousands of years by the Miami, Potawatomi, and Shawnee.