Indigenous loan words we use

Canadian English has borrowed many words from Indigenous languages. Some of these loan words designate animals and plants, while others describe Indigenous life and culture. Brush up on your Indigenous vocabulary by taking the quiz below. You’ll be surprised by the origin of some common—and not-so-common—words!

1. What is the correct spelling of the word that refers to an axe with a sharp stone or iron cutting head?

tommahawk

thomahawk

tomahawk

2. Which of the words below means "lake"?

Alberta

Ontario

Manitoba

3. Which animal name below is derived from an Indigenous word?

beaver

mink

skunk

4. Wampum beads were traditionally used as currency or to record historical events. What were they made of?

wood

stone

shells

5. If you are invited to share a meal of muktuk, what will you be eating?

smoked Arctic char

raw whale skin and blubber

pickled seal flippers

6. In "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot refers to a lake called “Gitche Gumee,” the Indigenous name for which Great Lake?

Superior

Huron

Michigan

7. Which islands in British Columbia were renamed Haida Gwaii?

Discovery Islands

Gulf Islands

Queen Charlotte Islands

8. What type of animal is a muskie?

a bird

a rodent

a fish

9. Which city's name is derived from an Algonquin word meaning "to trade"?

Ottawa

Oshawa

Toronto

10. The Saguenay River is said to derive its name from the Innu phrase meaning "."

powerful river

where the water flows

whale breeding ground