Indigenous Place Names Map and Sign: Coming Soon
Image: UVU students and faculty stand in front of the river house together with leadership and staff of the Nature Center at Pia Okwai
Part 1
Utah Valley University anthropology faculty and students came together during the 2025 summer semester to work on researching and organizing information for an upcoming sign. This sign will highlight additional Indigenous place names at the Nature Center at Pia Okwai and Tracy Aviary. We share the information and background to this project below in anticipation of the future sign.
Welcome and Statement of Place:
We pay our respects to these lands, waters, and the Indigenous peoples here by highlighting some of the living and original place names of the region in Newe Taikwa (Shoshone/Goshute languages).
The state of Utah is named after the Yuta-Shoshone peoples and occupies the Neme/Newe (Shoshone), Newe (Goshute), Núuchiu (Ute), Nuwuvi (Paiute), and Diné (Navajo) territories.
* Neme: neh-meh /ˈnɛ.mɛ/ nuh-muh (The People; Shoshone)
Newe: neh-weh /ˈnɛ.wɛ/ nuh-wah (The People; Goshute; Shoshone)
Nuuchiu: noo-chew/ˈnʊ.tʃu/ new-chew (The People; Ute)
Nuwuvi: noo-woo-vee /nuˈwu.vi/ new-woo-vee (The People; Paiute)
Diné: dih-neh/dɪˈnɛ/ (The People; Navajo)
Place and Species Names that may be featured in the future sign with added explanations:
Yutah (‘yoo-,tah): Utah is the original name for what today we know as Utah Valley. This name was documented by Spanish priests during their expedition in the late 1700s who learned that Yutah was a name for the valley by the ‘Laguna de los Timpanogos’ (‘Utah Lake’) and was used to refer to various Indigenous peoples of this region. Yutah was later anglicized to Ute and Utah. Utah is now also the name of the entire state boundary within the territorial context of the United States. [9]
Soonkahni (‘sohng-,kahn-nee): A name for the Salt Lake Valley in Newe Taikwa, which means ‘many houses’ [4] [7].
Piapaa/Titsa’pa (‘pee-ah-,paa OR ‘tih-tsah-,pah): The Great Salt Lake is known by more than one name to Indigenous peoples. Piapaa means ‘sea, ocean, big water’ and is one of the names for the Great Salt Lake. Titsapa, also spelled Titsa’pa has been interpreted as ‘bad water’, which one understanding is that it is a reference to not being a good drinking water source. Piapaa is an important ancestral site connected to creation stories and sacred ecology for many Indigenous peoples here [4] [6] [7][8].
Pakatete(n) (‘bah-guh-deh-,deh): This is one of the names for what today is known as Utah Lake and increasingly being remembered as Timpanogos Lake. The Spanish explorers of the 1700s identified this water body as ‘Laguna/Lago de los Timpanogos’, which means the ‘lake or laguna of the Timpanogos people’. Pakatete(n) means lake or still water and is also used to identify other lakes in this region historically and contemporarily [4] [7] [10].
Wuda Ogwa (‘wuu-,dah ‘oh-,gwah): The Bear River has been named as such by the Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation. It is a translation of the English name for this river. The Northwestern Band of Shoshone have shared that, “Boa Ogoi or Big River in the native Shoshone language is the name of the massacre [site] of more than 400 Shoshone in Southeast Idaho. It was the single largest loss of Native American Life in the history of the country.” They have begun using Wuda Ogwa to set apart Boa Ogoi’s use as a sacred name and place, honouring those who were killed there. [5]
O’ogwa (‘oh-oh-,gwah): This name is recorded as an expression for both the Weber river and Weber county/area, and is an Indigenous name for those places. [4]
Pia Paikwasi (‘pee-ah ‘p-eye-kwah-,see): Big Cottonwood Creek. This name refers to a big water flow out of a canyon mouth or entrance. [4]
Pia Okwai (‘pee-ah ‘Oh-,kwai): Utah’s Jordan River as recorded by Ralph Chamberlin, which means ‘big flow/river’, but is spelled here in the Miller-Crum orthography. Pia Okwai (Big Flow/River) is not exclusively Utah’s “Jordan River”, and there are other waters that may share this name throughout this region. The name Pia Okwai offers us an Indigenous memory of once being five times larger than it currently is today. [7]
Tempinokwai/Timpanoquint (‘temp-ahn-oh-,kwai): This is an Indigenous name for the Provo River, which refers to water flowing over rocks. It is also the name that the Timpanogos people’s name is derived from. The spelling is derived from the record published by Chamberlin but spelled in the Miller-Crum orthography [4][7] [9].
Species Names:
Pohopi/Bohobi (Bo-ho-bee) : Sagebrush [2][3]
Saipakantsukkih (Szai-bagkan-sookh-wee): Red wing blackbird [4]
Teheya (Deh-huh-yah): Deer [2][4]
Sohopi(n) (So-ho-phee) and Basoovee: Cottonwood Tree [2][3][4]
Peyen (Buh-yeh) /Puyu (Buh-yoh): Duck [2][4]
Ha’nii (Hah-nee) /A’nii (Ah-nee) : Beaver [4]
Honopittseh (Ho-no-beech): Bat [4]
Wako (Wa-gko): Frog [4]
Painkwi (Bain-gkwee) : Fish [2][4]
Awahko (Ah-wah-ngko) : Sucker Fish [4]
Pihaa Mottuhnaatsi (Bee-ha Mowt-ooh-na-dzee): Hummingbird [2]
* These and other Indigenous names along with audio recordings of correct pronunciations can be found on the University of Utah’s Shoshoni Talking Dictionary and on Newe (Goshute) Ecological Knowledge Videos.
This has been a project in collaboration with Utah Valley University Students and Faculty in the summer 2025 course on ‘Eco-Justice and Applied Anthropology’. This group collectively spent time at Tracy Aviary and the Nature Center at Pia Okwai to learn and work together on this community conservation project to amplify Indigenous Ecological Knowledge. They wrote and edited this blog post, researched place and species names, reviewed and cross checked references, as well as made Spanish and some French translations. We are grateful for the ancestral lands and waters, Indigenous knowledge holders, leaders, and authors, as well as scholars of various fields who have provided the resources we have relied on for this project.
Contributors to this project from Arcia Tecun’s Utah Valley University summer anthropology class include: Abigail Brown, Rachael Brown, Rachel Bryan, Rowen Elwood, Kailey Huntington, Ana Jenkins, Gabriela Leon, Gabriela Nava, Marissa Penrose, Jarin Vickers, and Lauren Wynn.
References:
[1] Forest Cuch (Ed.). 2003. A History of Utah’s American Indians. Utah Division of Indian Affairs and the Utah Division of State History. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46nwms
[2] Genevieve Fields and Marjle Greymountain-Pete. 2024. Newe ‘Goshute’ Ecological Knowledge, Bird Tweets Blog, Tracy Aviary. Retrieved from: https://tracyaviary.org/blog/post/newe-goshute-ecological-knowledge-with-genevieve-fields-and-marjle-greymountain-pete/
[3] Rios Pacheco. 2022. ‘Shoshone Plants’. Retrieved from: https://learnexploredesign.org/daigwade/guides
[4] University of Utah Shoshoni Language Project (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://shoshoniproject.utah.edu/
[5] Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.nwbshoshone.com/boa-ogoi-cultural-interpretive-center-1/
[6] Explore Native names for familiar Utah places (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/explore-native-names-for-familiar-utah-places/
[7] Ralph V. Chamberlin. 1913. Place and Personal Names of the Gosiute Indians of Utah. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 52 (208): pp. 1-20. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/983995
[8] Florence Steele and Lee Moon. Shoshoni Language Project. Retrieved from: https://shoshoniproject.utah.edu/language-materials/great-basin-indian-archives/florence-steele-lee-moon.php
[9] Jared Farmer. 2008. On Zion’s Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674047433
[10] National Park Service (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.nps.gov/tica/learn/historyculture/explorers-trappers-and-mapmakers.htm
Part II: Spanish Translation and Interpretation
By Ana Jenkins, Gabriela Leon, Gabriela Nava, Rowen Elwood, and Arcia Tecun
Bienvenidos:
Queremos dar respetos a esta tierra y los pueblos originarios al destacar los vivientes nombres Indigenas por donde estamos localizados en Newe Taikwa (Lenguas Shoshone/Goshute). Pia Okwai (Gran flujo/rio) no es exclusivamente el nombre del rio Jordan de Utah, porque hay otros cuerpos de agua que comparten este nombre en esta region. El nombre Pia Okwai nos ofrece una memoria profunda de antes ser cinco veces mas grande de lo que es hoy.
El estado de Utah ha sido nombrado por los pueblos Yuta-Shoshone y ocupa los territories de Neme/Newe (Shoshone), Newe (Goshute), Núuchiu (Ute), Nuwuvi (Paiute), y Diné (Navajo)
Nombres de cuerpos de Agua:
Yutah (‘yoo-,tah): Valle de Utah
Soonkahni (‘sohng-,kahn-nee): ‘Muchas Casas’, Valle del Lago Salado
Piapaa/Titsa’pa (‘pee-ah-,paa/’tih-tsah-,pah): ‘Mar, Agua Grande’ o ‘Agua que no se puede tomar’, Gran Lago Salado
Pakatete(n) (‘bah-guh-deh-,deh): ‘Lago, Agua Tranquila’, Laguna o Lago de los Timpanogos
Wuda Ogwa (‘wuu-,dah ‘oh-,gwah): Rio Oso
O’ogwa (‘oh-oh-,gwah): Condado/Rio Weber
Pia Paikwasi (‘pee-ah ‘p-eye-kwah-,see): ‘Agua que sale du un cañón’, Gran alamo norteamericano de arroyo
Pia Okwai (‘pee-ah ‘Oh-,kwai): ‘Flujo de agua grande’, el nombre del rio Jordan de Utah
Tempinokwai/Timpanoquint (‘temp-ahn-oh-,kwai): ‘Flujo de agua sobre piedras’, Rio de Provo
Nombres de especies:
Pohopi/Bohobi (Bo-ho-bee): Artimisia
Saipakantsukkih (Szai-bagkan-sookh-wee): Mirlo de alas rojas
Teheya (Deh-huh-yah): Venado
Sohopi(n) (So-ho-phee) and Basoovee (Bah-soo-vee): Arbol Alamo norteamericano
Peyen (Buh-yeh) /Puyu (Buh-yoh): Pato
Ha’nii (Hah-nee) /A’nii (Ah-nee): Castor
Honopittseh (Ho-no-beech): Murcielago
Wako (Wa-gko): Rana
Painkwi (Bain-gkwee): Pescado
Awahko (Ah-wah-ngko): Pez Chupador
Pihaa Mottuhnaatsi (Bee-ha Mowt-ooh-na-dzee): ‘dulce pico de ave’, Colibrí
*Colaboradores en este proyecto de la clase de antropología con Arcia Tecun en Utah Valley University (Universidad del valle de Utah) durante el verano de 2025 incluye: Abigail Brown, Rachael Brown, Rachel Bryan, Rowen Elwood, Kailey Huntington, Ana Jenkins, Gabriela Leon, Gabriela Nava, Marissa Penrose, Jarin Vickers, Lauren Wynn
Referencias:
[1] Forest Cuch (Ed.). 2003. A History of Utah’s American Indians. Utah Division of Indian Affairs and the Utah Division of State History. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46nwms
[2] Genevieve Fields and Marjle Greymountain-Pete. 2024. Newe ‘Goshute’ Ecological Knowledge, Bird Tweets Blog, Tracy Aviary. Retrieved from: https://tracyaviary.org/blog/post/newe-goshute-ecological-knowledge-with-genevieve-fields-and-marjle-greymountain-pete/
[3] Rios Pacheco. 2022. ‘Shoshone Plants’. Retrieved from: https://learnexploredesign.org/daigwade/guides
[4] University of Utah Shoshoni Language Project (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://shoshoniproject.utah.edu/
[5] Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.nwbshoshone.com/boa-ogoi-cultural-interpretive-center-1/
[6] Explore Native names for familiar Utah places (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://attheu.utah.edu/facultystaff/explore-native-names-for-familiar-utah-places/
[7] Ralph V. Chamberlin. 1913. Place and Personal Names of the Gosiute Indians of Utah. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 52 (208): pp. 1-20. Retrieved from: https://www.jstor.org/stable/983995
[8] Florence Steele and Lee Moon. Shoshoni Language Project. Retrieved from: https://shoshoniproject.utah.edu/language-materials/great-basin-indian-archives/florence-steele-lee-moon.php
[9] Jared Farmer. 2008. On Zion’s Mount: Mormons, Indians, and the American Landscape. https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674047433
[10] National Park Service (n.d.). Retrieved from: https://www.nps.gov/tica/learn/historyculture/explorers-trappers-and-mapmakers.htm
Part III: A French Perspective
By Abigail Brown
Wuda Ogwa – Rivière D’ours
Piapaa/Titsapa – Grand Lac Salé
O’ogwa – Rivière de Weber
Pia Paikwasi – Grand Peuplier d’Amérique Ruisseau
Soonkahni – Lac Salé Vallèe
Pia Okwai – La Rivière Jordan de l’Utah
Yutah – Vallèe de l’Utah
Pakatete – Lagune desTimpanogos/Lac des Timpanogos, Lac de l’Utah
Tempinokwai/Timpanoquint – La Rivière de Provo
There are so many words to describe water in the English language and not as many in French. When in doubt, I tend to just describe a river. Are we talking about a creek? We can say petite rivière, which is little river. We can also use verbs, like torrent which means flow or flood, or even use “just to the left” words like ruisseau, which would be a stream of liquid. Outside of that, rivière and lac (river and lake) are used for almost everything. Big cottonwood Creek could be called Grand Peuplier d’Amérique Ruisseau. there is no word for a cottonwood tree in French, but we can refer to it as an American poplar tree. When describing location, you want to say the river or lake first and then describe the place. For example, Utah’s Jordan River would be called La Rivière Jordan de l’Utah or The River Jordan of Utah.