Types of Arapaho Place Names
Arapaho place names can be categorized into many different types. Click on the links below each type of name to discover some characteristic examples. You may want to search through all the names and the stories of their origins for additional examples.
1. Names based on descriptions of the landscape, or on particular plants and animals associated with the landscape.
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2. Names which describe human (Arapaho) use of the landscape, to gather resources, typically.
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3. Names which recall historical events which happened at a place.
Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3
4. Names which recall mythological or supernatural events or qualities associated with a place.
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5. Symbolic names, which typically refer to items produced by humans, or to specific parts of animals. Some of these names may be merely descriptive, but many of them evoke mythological connections, although they are often not obvious without a good knowledge of Arapaho culture and religion.
Example 1 | Example 2 | Example 3