DAVID DIXON: What's in a name?

Yahoo

25-02-2025

By David Dixon
Recently, President Trump decided to change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. That's got a nice ring to it and is much more descriptive of this body of water; however, it has been the Gulf of Mexico for a long time. This recent particular change has created some furor, because, as one of my friends put it, 'history matters.' I agree.
Mt. McKinley was recently renamed Mt. Denali by President Obama, never mind that it had been named Mt. McKinley since the 1890s (officially in 1917). Now it's back to Mt. McKinley courtesy of President Trump. The mountain has been called Dinali by the local Athabascans for a very long time. So, fair enough, let's change it back to Denali, and while we are at it, let's go back to the Gulf of Mexico. After all, history matters.
Let's not stop there. Here's what I propose: We the people agree that we change those names back to Denali and Mexico, and, since history matters, will also agree to change back all the sports teams once named Indians and related native names like Redmen, Redskins, and the Fighting Sioux (always loved that one). Bring back Chief Wahoo and Chief Noc-a-homa, too. These names were always meant to be complimentary, not insulting.
Notice, by the way, we still have the Seminoles, Chippewa, Fighting Illini, Braves, and a few other organizations and schools with Native American names whose officials decided this name changing was ridiculous. My personal favorite nickname is the Battling Bishops of Ohio Wesleyan, but there is also the Demon Deacons. Are those too sacrilegious? Do you think the Cajuns are unhappy with the Ragin' Cajuns nickname? Unlikely. No one even bats an eye on the European nickname references like the Vandals, Britons, Saxons, Scots, Gaels, Vikings, Spartans, Trojans, and, oh yes, the Fighting Irish.
My alma mater, Valdosta State, once had the name Rebels until 1972. We currently have Ole Miss and Nevada-Las Vegas with the Rebel moniker, so let's throw out the Blazers and go back to the Rebels. After all, history matters.
Of course, we can't leave out the military bases either. So let's change back those names to Ft. Gordon, Fort A.P. Hill, Fort Benning, Fort Hood, Fort Lee, Fort Pickett, Fort Polk and Fort Rucker. We also can't leave off the list the cruiser USS Chancellorsville, which was changed by President Biden in 2023 to the Robert Smalls. After all, history matters.
What about the Flint River here in Georgia? Well, that would get tricky, because it has been called Thronateeska, Hionotiskahachi, Rio de Capachequi, or Rio Perdernales way before it became the Flint. I'm sticking with the Flint on this one.
Let's go closer to home with Radium Springs. Like all springs in south Georgia and Florida, it had a Native American name. The English translation was Skywater. I'm probably going to botch this, but I looked up how to spell and pronounce 'skywater' in Muscogee. Most online references have the word for sky as 'sutv' where the 'u' is pronounced as in the word 'put' and the 'v' as in the word 'cup.' The 's' and 't' are just like in the English language. Water is spelled three different ways. I am using this one: 'owv.' The 'o' is a long o as in oboe. The 'w' is pronounced as the w in the word 'way,' and the 'v' as above. So Skywater in Muscogee could have been 'Sutvowv.'
Confusing? Regardless, this name was changed to Blue Springs by early white settlers and then to Radium Springs in 1925 by developer Baron Collier. Should we go back to Sutvowv?
My point here is that this constant changing of names can be pointless, petty and endless. Stop all this nonsense. We have much more important things to care about.
David Dixon is a local historian and waterman.