Origin of Name
The name Lac Courte Oreilles is shared by the nearby Lac Courte Oreilles Indian Reservation. In the Ojibwe language the lake is called Odaawaa-zaaga'iganiing, "Ottawa Lake" and it was often referred to as such (or as "Ottowaw Lake") in early descriptions of the area. The name Lac Courte Oreilles was given to the lake by French fur trappers who were the earliest European explorers in the area. The French term "Lac Courte Oreilles" translates as "Lake Short Ears," as the trappers believed the Ottawa Anishinaabe peoples living in the area cut off the edges of their ears. An alternative explanation is that some tribes in the region had a practice of distending their earlobes by earrings or other ornaments. However, the Indians of the Lac Courte Oreilles area did not practice that custom and hence had naturally shaped "short" ears.
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