Cypress Hills (Canada) - Name

Name

The Cypress Hills have been known by a wide number of native and European names throughout their history. An 1882 Blackfoot–English dictionary written by C. M. Lanning provided the Blackfoot name I-kim-e-kooy, which translates as Striped Earth or Earth over Earth. The Cree name, in use at the same time, was Manâtakâw, (spelled in a variety of anglicized forms including "Mun-a-tuh-gow"), sometimes said to mean Beautiful Upland but more accurately referring to "an area to be respected, protected, taken care of and/or taken care with". The Assiniboine name is wazíȟe . Early Métis hunters, who spoke a variation of French, called the hills les montagnes des Cyprès, in reference to the abundance of pine trees. To the Métis, most evergreen trees were easily labelled cyprès, but the region has no true cypress trees. The English translation is Cypress Hills.