Talk:Ossineke, Michigan

Etymology

What is the etymology of this place name? Badagnani (talk) 22:24, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

I don't know, although I would guess it is either a Native American word or a made up word by Henry Schoolcraft. Seriously, if you can lay your hands on the books that are listed in List of Michigan county name etymologies, I am sure that there is an answer. Hope that puts you on the right track. Happy editing. 7&6=thirteen (talk) 22:52, 4 August 2008 (UTC) Stan

The name literally means "stones" but it is short for zhingaabewasiniigigaabawaad meaning "Where the Image Stones stood" , or literally, "where the flat-person-stones stood". Devils River (Michigan)‎ article was just updated, too. However, when the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission recently did a series of interviews with elders throughout the region, they found the Ossineke was called asiniike instead, which means "to quarry" or "to be quarrying", literally meaning "to be making stones." CJLippert (talk) 23:13, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

Bibliography and further reading

• Armitage, B. Phyllis. "A Study of Michigan's Place-Names." Michigan History Magazine, Vol. 27 (Oct-Dec 1943), pp. 626-637.
• County histories published in Michigan History Magazine. Some back issues that include these histories are still available for purchase.
• Jenks, William L. History and Meaning of the County Names of Michigan. Collections and Researches of the Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society. Vol. 38 (1912), pp. 439-478.
• Michigan Manual (the "Red Book") published biennially by the Legislative Service Bureau under the direction of the Legislative Council, State of Michigan.
• Powers, Perry F., assisted by H.G. Cutler, A History of Northern Michigan and its People (1912).
• Reports of Counties, Towns and Districts. Report of the Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan. (2nd Ed.) Vol. I (1874-6). Lansing, MI: Robert Smith Printing Co. 1900, pp. 94-520.
• Romig, Walter, Larry B Massie (Designer), Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986. ISBN 9780814318386
• Vogel, Virgil J. Indian Names in Michigan. (Ann Arbor, University of Michigan Press, 1986). 244 pgs. 8 B&W photographs & 3 maps. (1986) ISBN 978-0-472-06365-9.

FWIW, the article does give a theory of the name's origin. 7&6=thirteen (talk) 22:58, 4 August 2008 (UTC) Stan