It is utterly bizarre. In many places in the US and Canada, there's a big push to revert to native names for places. Yet, at the same time, we are supposed to NOT use native words like "Aloha." So which is it? Native names and words are GOOD? Or native names and words are BAD? They cannot have it both ways.
We visited the "Bison Range" in NW Montana a couple months ago. The Confederated Salish Kootenai Tribes are using a lot of native language place names and words. Somehow I think the Indian replacements for English words aren't going to readily catch on:
Xest Sxlxalt, Kiʾsuʾk kyukyit! – good day!A while back, another FReeper said he had asked some Indian acquaintances about why they didn't use their own native language. Their reply? "It's too damn hard."
