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bapabear

05/27/2009 01:19PM

As a friend and I were poring over maps this winter we had a disagreement on how to pronounce "Kawishiwi". One favors Ka-WISH-a-wee and the other thinks Ka-wa-SHE-wee. Maybe both are wrong, but wondered if anybody knew how to say it. No, I won't say which one I thought it was because I fear I'm wrong.

My superhero name is TYPOMAN. Writer of wrongs.

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airmorse

05/27/2009 01:24PM

Not sure, I pronounce it Ka-WISH-a-wee. I'm sure I'm wrong. Usually am.

"In wilderness is the salvation of mankind." Thoreau.

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Canoe42

05/27/2009 01:36PM

I was told it was pronounced "Ka-wa-SHE-wee". That does not mean it is true.

"Half the things you read on the internet are false"-Abraham Lincoln

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Ho Ho

05/27/2009 01:59PM

I was told it is pronounced ka-WISH-a-wee. That does not mean it's true. :-) But it does sound better than ka-wa-SHE-wee, which was my initial stab at saying it.

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Spartan2

05/27/2009 02:07PM

I have always heard it pronounced ka-WISH-a-we. Sounds right to me, and I would always agree with HoHo on such things. :-) But I am not a person with expert knowledge, either. Would love to hear from someone who really knows.

And then they can tackle Kekekabic, Ge-be-on-e-quet, etc. etc.

:-)

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FullGo

05/27/2009 02:11PM

Put me down for Ka-WISH-a-we.

I'm bad, and that's good. I'll never be good, and that's not bad. There is no one I'd rather be than me.

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knothead180

05/27/2009 02:13PM

Once we settle this one, can anybody tell me if it's SA-ga-NA-ga, or Sa-GAN-a-ga? Is it an Ojibwa pronunciation guide that we need?

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solotrek

05/27/2009 02:38PM

My vote is for Ka-WISH-a-wee and SAG-a-na-ga. Fact is, tho, that I was never instructed on the correct pronunciation of either...

"It is in solitude, in quiet communication with nature that we reach most deeply into truth." Sam Campbell

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ILikePike

05/27/2009 02:58PM

ive only heard ka-WISH-a-wee. but of course that doenst mean its right.

“Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit” -Edward Abbey

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amhacker22@hotmail.com

05/27/2009 03:42PM

I have no idea on Kawishiwi, but I have heard Saganaga pronounced SA-ga-na by various Grand Marais locals. They dropped the last "ga".

Who knows.

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HighPlainsDrifter

05/27/2009 03:57PM

Kawashaway:
from the Algonquin, Kaw meaning "no" and Ashaway meaning "the place between"

"No Place Between-a spirit land"....... today we know it as Kawishiwi...... so written by dear Sig

"Boredom, Tyler - that's what's wrong. And how do you beat boredom, Tyler?... Adventure...(Never Cry Wolf, 1983)

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spankatolla

05/27/2009 03:59PM

How about en-sin vs. en-sine

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Cedarboy

05/27/2009 06:19PM

Thank you "Wondering Man from High Flat land" for the reference.
CB

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Jackfish

Moderator

05/27/2009 06:34PM

I'm with the crowd that has always heard it pronounced "Ka-WISH-a-wee". Can't help you on Saganaga. I think I asked that question a few years ago on another board and can't remember what the concensus was.

As long as everyone knows how to pronounce "Jackfish Bay", I'm good. :-)

"Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." ~ John Muir

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marsonite

05/27/2009 06:46PM

Or how do you pronounce Gebeonequet?

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Jackfish

Moderator

05/27/2009 07:03PM

GEE-be-ON-a-kay

"Keep close to Nature's heart, yourself; and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean." ~ John Muir

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Petey

05/27/2009 07:09PM

How about Ogishkemuncie or Gabimichigami?

"In Wildness is the preservation of the world." --Thoreau

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sterngirl

05/27/2009 08:22PM

What about Kahshahpiwi?

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Dbldppr1250

05/27/2009 08:30PM

The gal that answered the phone at Kawishiwi Lodge said "Ka - WISH - a - wee

Walking School Bus

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The Great Outdoors

05/27/2009 09:46PM

It is pronounced Ka-WISH'-a-wee

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Outdoors-Bait-Tackle/1606420532911075?skip_nax_wizard=true

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The Great Outdoors

05/27/2009 09:49PM

Sterngirl
cash-UH-pee-wee

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Outdoors-Bait-Tackle/1606420532911075?skip_nax_wizard=true

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Merganser

05/27/2009 09:53PM

I've always heard 'Ka-WISH-a-wee'.

"That sort of thing is my bag baby."

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The Great Outdoors

05/27/2009 10:02PM

That's because that is the way it is pronounced:)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Outdoors-Bait-Tackle/1606420532911075?skip_nax_wizard=true

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bumabu

05/27/2009 11:36PM

Kah-Wee-Shee-Wee.......might not be right, but it's right for me.

Who I am precedes what I do, not the other way around.

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VoyageurNorth

05/27/2009 11:40PM

Gib-ee-on-i-quay

Or we just call it Gebe (Gibby) :-)

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lmislinski

05/28/2009 08:49AM

Ensign - well, for an ex-Navy guy, I pronounce it EN-sin.

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Soledad

05/28/2009 02:41PM

One google answer:
Experts agree on one thing when it comes to the meanings of Native American place names; most explanations are anecdotal and , as with most oral histories, it is virtually impossible to guarantee that the etymology is 100% accurate.
A scholar on the Chippewa Nation believes that Kawishiwi is (roughly translated) Chippewa for 'water with many shadows'. But no one is absolutely sure of that translation or any other.

And another:
The Kawishiwi river was given its name by the Ojibway Indians, and in English this name means "River full of Beaver Houses"

ka-WISH-a-wee is how I say it, and I would go with Sig's translation/meaning.

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Bannock

05/28/2009 05:26PM

Chippewa and Ojibway are the same. Both are pronounced chib-(rhymes with "jib")-wah. the "ch" is very soft.

I will defer to The Great Outdoors since he is a local, but I thought it was pronounced ka-WISH-a-way

Bannock

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Go Solo

05/28/2009 08:15PM

Ka WI shi wi

How about that for a change.

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Patches the Canoe

05/30/2009 12:08AM

I like Ka-wish-shEE-wEE! Cause it's what you say when you cheat death on the rapids in a lake canoe...

Also, like sAg'-a-nAg'-a. Cause its damn long and spend an entire day in constant rain sagging from being tired and nagged by the leader to keep up.

"...there are no tippy canoes, only tippy people."

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UncleMoose

05/30/2009 11:57AM

I was told it was "ka-WISH-a-wee", but I've heard many locals say "ka-WISH-a-way".

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crumpman

05/30/2009 09:09PM

Jordan or Jurden, it's a Southern thing

"Fine figure of a man, yes?" Jeremiah Johnson

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The Great Outdoors

05/30/2009 10:46PM

Bannock,

Many locals (myself included say ka-WISH-a-way) but the correct way is as stated before, ka-WISH-a-wee.
We call our State Senator Amy Kluh-BUTCH-er (another local pronunciation of residents with the same name) and she calls herself Amy KLOBE-oosh-ar. (a southern Minnesota pronunciation:)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Outdoors-Bait-Tackle/1606420532911075?skip_nax_wizard=true

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bmac78

05/31/2009 09:37AM

try this "whu-givs-uh-chit"

Are those Whitecaps ?

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bapabear

05/31/2009 12:00PM

No, more like WHOO givs a CHITT unless you care enough to really want to know. Sounds like lots of ways are used but we all get the message what we're talking about. Many seem to go with Ka WISH a WEE so I'll lean toward that. Have great trips this summer everyone.

My superhero name is TYPOMAN. Writer of wrongs.

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bmac78

05/31/2009 05:07PM

Just kidding jeez

Are those Whitecaps ?

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bloomingtonsteve

06/02/2009 12:14PM

I've heard Ka-WEE'shi-wee

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cowboymac12

06/04/2009 03:23PM

I was told sag-a-na-GAH once, corrected from sag-a-NAG-a

"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain

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sinking3

06/05/2009 07:00AM

There is not only native elements which I am not even going to attempt, but to me "Gebeonequet" sounds French. Perhaps because of the French fur trade. I live in "Cloquet" and the "quet" is pronounced like a long "a". Tid bit from Klo-kay.

"None of Nature's landscapes are ugly... so long as they are wild." John Muir

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Captn Tony

06/05/2009 07:15AM

I'm getting a HEADache or is it headACHE!!!

You're going to HELL and you're going to drag me with ya!! -Gunsmoke

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cowboymac12

06/05/2009 11:02AM

I think AMhacker22 is right about dropping the last "ga" in Saganaga. Sa-ga-na...so in Michigan, Saginaw would be a phoenetic, "anglicized" spelling of the same word, perhaps?

"It is better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than to open it and remove all doubt." Mark Twain

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emptynest56

06/05/2009 12:29PM

I have heard that the equat in Ge-be-on-equat is really equay or the Ojibwe word for "woman". It would be interesting to ask an Ojibwe linguist for translations or these names.

"Did you bring the coffee?" "No. I thought you were."

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MrWalleye

06/05/2009 12:47PM

We went to the ranger station last year on our way to EP16 with 6 guys and we were corrected on how to pronounce Ge-be-on-e-quet, we made him repeat it too. We walked out of there and all of us still had a different version of how to say it and I'm pretty sure we were all wrong. We got a good laugh out of it and now we just call it GB.

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mdemarr

10/16/2010 09:25PM

Blow to shore.

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Koda

10/16/2010 10:07PM

Great thread!

The owner of Ka-wa-SHE-wee Lodge pronounces it Ka-WISH-a-wee.

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arctic

10/16/2010 10:21PM

Ka-WISH-awee is the proper pronunciation.

“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.” -Edward Abbey

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The Great Outdoors

10/16/2010 10:52PM

I thought this was settled last May!
Someone looking for a tree or two??????? :)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Outdoors-Bait-Tackle/1606420532911075?skip_nax_wizard=true

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kanoes

10/16/2010 10:56PM

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Amok

10/17/2010 12:04AM

I would guess that the vowel sounds need to remain constant. The 'i' sounds should be consistent throughout the word, unlike english pronunciations. "Ka-wi-shi-wi" (prounced like "wish" the whole time) or maybe "Kah-weh-she-weh" (prounced like "when" throughout the word, not the Canadian eh, though that is another possibility... "Ka-way-shay-way"). I am thinking this is something you would need to HEAR correctly to get right. Too many possibilities for me to say.

Trust, but verify. The Lord will provide !!!!

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Koda

10/17/2010 12:38AM

quote Amok: "I would guess that the vowel sounds need to remain constant. The 'i' sounds should be consistent throughout the word, unlike english pronunciations. "Ka-wi-shi-wi" (prounced like "wish" the whole time) or maybe "Kah-weh-she-weh" (prounced like "when" throughout the word, not the Canadian eh, though that is another possibility... "Ka-way-shay-way"). I am thinking this is something you would need to HEAR correctly to get right. Too many possibilities for me to say."

You might think the vowels would sound the same, and it might be true in Ojibway, but it doesn't work that way in other languages, e.g., Lakota. Transliteration is very limited in its ability to use one language's alphabet to capture another language's sounds. Anyone who knows Russian will agree.

I know a Blackfoot woman who has three i's in her name. Each is pronounced differently from the others - short "i", "ee" and "eye".

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Chilly

10/17/2010 12:41AM

I beauty of our F'ed up American language is there is no rhyme or reason to anything!!! Wind and Wind are pronounced 2 different ways and 2 different words, so whatever floats your boat will work in my book.

"Now days these kids take out everything: radar, sonar, electric toothbrushs" Quint

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Koda

10/17/2010 10:41AM

quote Chilly: "I beauty of our F'ed up American language is there is no rhyme or reason to anything!!! Wind and Wind are pronounced 2 different ways and 2 different words, so whatever floats your boat will work in my book. "

Different pronunciations and spelling rules are no surprise, considering the multiple roots of our language. It isn't just American, though it's English, and it comes primarily from Latin, Greek and German. Definitely a mashup.

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KennyLogIn

10/17/2010 01:34PM

Lived here 20 years. Always been "way" at the end.

Nice lake. Square has better fishing and is easier to pronounce.

Rocks, trees, and water...

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Koda

10/17/2010 03:00PM

Cudahy Hall at Loyola Univ. in Chicago is pronounced KUD-uh-hee

Cudahy, Wisconsin is pronounced KUD-uh-hay.

Go figure.

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gutmon

10/17/2010 03:52PM

This is why I go to Basswood...

(or is it "BaseWood"???)

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Corndog

10/18/2010 01:11PM

I am sure it is pronounced KAW isha Wee. That sounds right to me!

My wife said it is Ka E Sha We.

OMG "Corndogged again!" My all time favorite quote.

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Amok

10/18/2010 02:50PM

quote Koda: "
quote Amok: "I would guess that the vowel sounds need to remain constant. The 'i' sounds should be consistent throughout the word, unlike english pronunciations. "Ka-wi-shi-wi" (prounced like "wish" the whole time) or maybe "Kah-weh-she-weh" (prounced like "when" throughout the word, not the Canadian eh, though that is another possibility... "Ka-way-shay-way"). I am thinking this is something you would need to HEAR correctly to get right. Too many possibilities for me to say."

You might think the vowels would sound the same, and it might be true in Ojibway, but it doesn't work that way in other languages, e.g., Lakota. Transliteration is very limited in its ability to use one language's alphabet to capture another language's sounds. Anyone who knows Russian will agree.

I know a Blackfoot woman who has three i's in her name. Each is pronounced differently from the others - short "i", "ee" and "eye"."

As a music major, I did not have the privilege of singing anything in any indian language. But consistency is normally the rule in pronunciation when dealing with a foreign language. I can read/speak lots of stuff (German, Italian, French, Latin, et al) --I just have no idea what it says, lol. I did take one year of French ..... a long long time ago ... I am guessing that I will never know the proper way to pronounce this word :)

Trust, but verify. The Lord will provide !!!!

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AndySG

10/18/2010 03:15PM

When I asked, I was told Kaw-Weesh-ah-way (excuse my phonetic spelling.) The person who told me looked like he may have had Native American blood. Is anybody here an Ojibwa who can straighten this out?

If you've ever been to Hawaii (Hah-why-ee), you lean quickly there is no consistency in vowel or consonant pronunciations. Luckily, there are many of Hawaiian blood who can help you with pronouncing local names. Native Hawaiian is a beautiful and rich language, even though there are only twelve letters in the Hawaiian alphabet. I would guess Native American alphabets also have fewer letters, with multiple pronunciations for each letter.

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