09/01/2026
🗺️ As Canadians across the country steadfastly reaffirm their commitment to the Indigenous origin of ’s name, now is also a good time to reflect on the countless other waterbodies bearing and the efforts to reassert those names.
Lake Ontario is a name that predates the founding of both Canada and the United States and comes from the Wendat word Ontari:io, which means “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.”
Indigenous place names reflect the valuable historical and cultural knowledge connected to these places. Often, they are usefully descriptive to people navigating or living in an area — more so than a name connected to a single, historical person.
Below, for example, is the Tsalhanqox in B.C., which translates to "river with many beavers” in Tŝilhqot’in. It was called the Chilanko River by settlers and was officially changed to its Indigenous name in 2020 by the BC Geographical Names Office. (Photo credit to Tŝilhqot’in National Government)
To learn more, look for the Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) web page dedicated to the Indigenous-led Mapping and Place Names Initiatives Across Canada.
