|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613
Carpal Tunnel
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 11,613 |
Once again, I am happily snuggled in between CK & sjm; a, without a doubt, and devil take the hind leg.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346
veteran
|
|
OP
veteran
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 1,346 |
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
" Birmingham, Alabama is the namesake of Birmingham, England."
Great! Or "The Seneca Indians are the namesake of Seneca, the Roman philosopher, statesman, orator, and tragedian."
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
The Seneca Indians are the namesake of Seneca, the Roman philosopher
Surely there has to be some connection, however notional, between namesakes other than just coincidentally the same spelling for two different things in two different languages. But perhaps the Greek name Seneca actually was the origin for the name of that Indian nation and it is not an Indian word at all – perhaps I should look it up. So – I have searched and searched but cannot find the origin of the name of the Seneca Indians. I now know far more about them than I did, which was practically nothing I’m ashamed to say, but can someone please tell me – why Seneca?
A second question that came to mind during my reading was what makes a nation? The dictionary definition of nation is quite broad and there are sections within many/most countries that would have qualified as nations in the near or distant past (I am sure we could all draw up a list, for example Italy and Germany were, until unified in the mid-nineteenth century, made up of separate self governed states and some Bretons, Basques and others would still like to be separate!), but they are no longer referred to as nations. So why are these called Indian “nations”? What is special here?
dxb.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 13,803 |
Their name for themselves is variously given as Nod-doh-wa-ge:o:no (yes, the colons represent a phoneme, but I don't know what it is) or Onondowahgah both of which mean People of the Great Hill. AHD gives the origin of the name Seneca, referring to the Indians, as From Dutch Sennecaas, probably of Mahican origin. M-W adds that Sennecaas means the Iroquois living west of the Mohawks. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some connection with the Roman of the same name, if only in affecting the spelling. I included the two only to indicate that, in my opinion, there need be no connection between two entities for them to be called namesakes.
Nation originally referred to a people and not to a political organization. It derives from the Latin word meaning to be born.
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
What's special? long History..
here is a blurb from one US government site...
The federal government recognizes the unique political relationship, based on treaties and history, between the Indian nation governments and the federal government. In the NY/NJ area, seven are recognized by the federal government as “federally-recognized Indian Tribes”(see map below), with whom the federal government has a government-to-government relationship. Some, but not all, Indian nations or Tribes, apply to the Bureau of Indians Affairs for federal recognition. Such recognition allows the U.S. government to interact with these nations on a government-to-government basis and to provide services it cannot provide to nations that are not “federally-recognized”. The federally-recognized Indian nations (in NY/NJ) include: Cayuga Nation; Oneida Indian Nation (OIN); Onondaga Nation; St. Regis Mohawk Tribe (SRMT); Seneca Nation of Indians (SNI); Tonawanda Band of Seneca's; Tuscarora Nation.
all of the nations have web pages, i could get you urls if you want more info on a specific nation..
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511
Carpal Tunnel
|
|
Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 6,511 |
Birmingham:Birmingham::Seneca/:Seneca
|
|
|
|
|
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692
Pooh-Bah
|
|
Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 1,692 |
Thanks, Faldage and Of Troy. That helps me fit the name Seneca to the tribe and understand that the Gov't agreement gives it and others "nation status". That is special. I found the websites for the various nations listed on another page that I came across and am slowly browsing them. Fascinating reading.
Thanks again,
dxb.
|
|
|
|
Forums16
Topics13,913
Posts229,706
Members9,187
| |
Most Online3,341
Dec 9th, 2011
|
|
|
0 members (),
264
guests, and
18
robots. |
|
Key:
Admin,
Global Mod,
Mod
|
|
|
|
