Why is mackinac spelled two different ways

The late Rt. Bishop Baraga, who lived and did missionary work among the Indians of the Upper Peninsula for many years, and is considered to be one of the greatest authorities on the Chippewa tongue, wrote and published a very comprehensive work, A Grammar and Dic tionary of the Otchipwe Language — Explained in English.

Edition of From the following pages of his Dictionary he gives his version of the Indian names for Mackinac, tortoise and turtle:. Page , Tortoise, mishike. Another kind species of tortoise tetebikinak. Page , Turtle, jingademik wan, misk wadessi, bosikado: makinak, or mikkinak.

Page , Michimakina Otchip. Another missionary, The Reverend Edward F. Wilson, who lived among the Indians for many years, also wrote a dictionary. The Ojebway Language Toronto, On page iv will be found a brief paragraph concerning the Ojebway language.

Their language, in common with those of other Indian tribes, is not a written one, and, though by some considered musical, is very deficient in its phonetic elements, the Alphabet consisting only of nineteen letters, those which are wanting being c, f, h, l, r, v and x. Jameson, the noted English author and critic, visited Mackinac in Schoolcraft, then Indian Agent at Mackinac….

In the Wisconsin Historical Collection, Vol. This reference is given as a matter of interest, rather than as source material, this history not being documented. The Indians do not use this word in speaking of this island, but rather use the word Me-she-ne-mock-e-nung-gonge: which means Island of Great or Giant Fairies. Meade C. In , Edgar Conkling founded present-day Mackinaw City and changed the spelling of the city to reflect the way it is pronounced. As mentioned above, turtles have a big influence on Mackinac Island.

The next time you visit, pay attention to the gifts, art, photos, paintings, names of businesses, and more that pay homage to the original Anishinaabek name, place of the great turtle. Hey Patrick! It was always a mystery to me as well so I decided to do some digging and found the reasoning behind it to be pretty interesting!

Thanks for your comment! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Start Here Michigan International Gear. Sign in. Log into your account. Forgot your password? Password recovery. Recover your password. Doesn't that sound nicer? So, what's with the spelling? Well, it's confusing. So, while we're at it, let's get the spelling right, too. Blame the French.

And the British. You can even blame the area's Native Americans. When Europeans got here the French first , they picked up on all these words spoken by the local people and tried to write them down in their own language. Are there other Mackinaw things?

You bet.