I am starting to get the impression that the state should be called ARIDZONA.
JOhnGw! We allow ourselves blatant, outlandish and amazing topic drift. This may be a step further, perhaps too far, to topic hijacking to my understanding...Where did that come from, or did I miss something? ....Anyway, I was taught that Arizona meant arid zone and may Arizonans believe that to be so. But, here are some facts from the net:
Arizona hits the century mark today, a cause for celebration and curiosity about how the state got its name.
Some historians and museum curators say the word "Arizona" derives from the words "small stream" in the language of one of the oldest southwest American Indian tribes.
Others say it means "arid zone" and possibly "good oak tree."
Bernard G. Siquieros, education curator at the Tohono O'odham Nation Cultural Center and Museum, says the etymology of Arizona is linked to his people's language, who call themselves the Desert People, formerly known as the Papago.
Siquieros said that long before the Spaniards and Americans arrived in the southwest, the Desert People's dialect, which derives from the Uto-Aztecan language group, had a strong presence. The Desert People had names for landmarks such as streams, mountains, hills and basins, Siquieros said.
The O'odham word "al son" with a dot on the bottom of the s, creates the "sh" sound, Siquieros said. O'odham elders often use the word to describe the once-flowing Santa Cruz River, he said. "Al son" evolved into Arizona.
Historian Malcolm L. Comeaux, author of "Arizona," also said the state's name means "the place of little springs" in the language of the O'odham.
Comeaux said the state's name can be traced to a place southwest of Nogales. The "Indians called (the place) Arizonac, meaning 'the place of little springs.' "
In his book, Comeaux said a silver strike occurred in the area in 1736 and Spaniards searching for riches moved there, calling their camp Real de Arizonac. The "c" was eventually dropped.
"The whole area was soon known by the Papago word, and in time, the name was give to an entire state to the north," Comeaux said.
Historian Thomas E. Sheridan, author of "Arizona, a History" agreed that the discovery of silver brought Spaniards to the mining camp Arizonac.
In his book Sheridan wrote, "the name may have come from two Piman words, 'ali' and 'shonak,' which mean 'small springs.' " Alternatively, he said, the name may have come from "prominent Basques in the area who may have called the camp 'valuable rocky places' (arritza onac) or 'good oak' (aritz onac)."
Marshall Trimble, Arizona's official historian, confirmed that there are several versions of the origin of the word "Arizona."
"Ali-Shonak" is a "Tohono O'odham word meaning 'Place of the Small Springs,' " Trimble said. "Ali Shonak didn't roll off the Spanish tongues easily, so they corrupted it to Arizonac and when the Americans arrived more than a century later, they corrupted it again to 'Arizona.' "
Trimble said that the late Don Garate of the Tumacacori National Park claimed that Arizona derives from a Basque word.
According to Garate's "Arizona A Land of Good Oak Trees," the state's name is Basque with a straight forward meaning.
"Ariz" is oak tree, "on" is good and "a" is the, and it means the good oak tree, according to Garate.
But there are flaws in that interpretation, Trimble said.
"Once we all agree the term was used when the Spaniards ruled, then it would have been Zona Arida, noun first, adjective following," Trimble said. "In addition, the spot where the (silver) mine was located was at an elevation above 5,000 feet. Five varieties of oak trees grow there, and they do not grow in an arid climate."
Read more:
http://www.azcentral.com/centennial/news/articles/2012/01/17/20120117arizona-name-origins-unclear.html#ixzz4eAgngBnUJbee
