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Table of Contents Shawnee People The Divisions The Name Groups and Personal Names I’m always attracted to and interested in the culturally distinct and characteristic elements of different traditions or societies. Reading about the Shawnee people of Native American tribes is no different. I immediately fell in love with the linkage between Shawnee name groups and personal names. The name groups seem to present the Shawnee as a one-descent group with five major divisions. To examine this connection between a personal name and name group, a brief description of Shawnee will help in understanding the Shawnee social organisation. Shawnee People The term ‘Shawnee’ written in different forms ( Shaawanwaki, Shaawanowi lenaweeki, and Shawano ) is Algonquian like the archaic term ‘ shaawanwa ’ meaning ‘south.’ Thus, the term ‘Shawnee’ is (pronounced shaw-nee ) meaning the ‘southern people.’ The Shawnees are categorised as Algonquian-speaking North American Indian people whose pristine ho...

Table of Contents The Crow: Who are they? Names, Visions, and Imageries Apsaalooke (or Absaroka) The Separations of the Bands The Mountain Crow (Ashalaho) The River Crow The Kicked in the Bellies Chiefs, Their Names and Meanings Chief Long Hair (Issheuhutskitu) Chief Sore Belly (Arapoosh) Chief of the Camp (Ashbacheeitche) Chief of Plenty Coups The rich cultural heritage of the Native Americans is subject to different interpretations beyond the actual meanings as understood by the natives. The Crow tribe’s names, visions, and imageries are not spared from these relative interpretations. It is claimed that these names, visions, and imageries denote exaggerations, triumphalism, or cultural symbolism. Also, their name can visually reveal the true meanings of descriptive language and metaphors or similes in words and expressions.   The objective of this writing is to examine these names and imageries to differentiate the Europeans’ interpretations of the names and lifestyle of the Cr...