A compendium of Indian-derived names from the three languages of the Muskhogean family—Seminole, Hitchiti, and Choctaw.
The first Native peoples of what is now the United States who met and interacted with Europeans were the people of the lower Southeast. They were individuals of the largerMaskókîlinguistic family who inhabited much of present-day Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, and eastern portions of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Louisiana. Today, sixteen federally recognized tribes trace their heritage from these earlyMaskókîpeoples, and many of them in both Florida and Oklahoma still speak and understand this root language.
The continuing vitality of this core language, and of Seminole culture and influence, makes this linguistic examination by William Read ever more valuable. A companion to his study ofIndian Place Names in Alabama, this long out-of-print guide offers a new introduction from Patricia Wickman in which she provides current understandings of Seminole language and derivations and a brief analysis of Read's contribution to the preservation of the Native linguistic record.
A compendium of Indian-derived names from the three languages of the Muskhogean family—Seminole, Hitchiti, and Choctaw
was a pioneer in the study of American Indian languages, especially those spoken in the southeastern states. He made the study of Indian place names a particular specialty.
Patricia Riles Wickmanis former Senior Curator for the State of Florida and author of
Osceola's Legacyand
The Tree That Bends.“Read was a pioneer in the study of American Indian languages.”
—
Florida Historical Quarterly
![Florida Place-Names of Indian Origin and Seminole Personal Names [Paperback]](/itemImage/2/7/4/5/2_5191345.jpg "Florida Place-Names of Indian Origin and Seminole Personal Names [Paperback]")