"Water is Ni but the water or stream isn't nee-ra but Nee-nah ... The story is told that, when in the early days, a map maker wanted to put the lower Fox R. on the map he dipped his hand in it and asked a Hochunk Wunksheegra [Winnebago] 'What do you call this?' The wunksheek said, 'Ni Na,' meaning water, wondering at the stupidity of the Má-hee-xe-te-ra (Big Knife). So the city on the lower Fox R. is Neenah. The lower Fox to the Wunksheegra is Ne o x te [s]: Stream-where-big-the, since 'white man talks backward'." [1]

Commentary. "Nee-nah" -- nina in Hotcâk.

"Hochunk Wunksheegra" -- this would be wâkcigra Hotcâgara, meaning "the Hotcâk man" in Hotcâk.

"Ni Na" -- this is a rendering of the Hotcâk syllabary for nina (ni n), "the water".

"Má-hee-xe-te-ra" -- Mahî-xéte-ra, "knife-big-the".

"Ne o x te s" -- this is clearly a rendering of the Hotcâk syllabary for Nioxatera (ni o x te s), "the Great Waters".

Links: The Wazidja.

Stories: set on the Fox River: The Foolish Hunter, The First Fox and Sauk War, Winneconnee Origin Myth.

Themes: ...