Q: I am trying to research the etymology of a supposed Algonquin name before I use it in a project. The name is Oota Dabun and supposedly means "Day Star." I have been unable to find any reference to this outside name sites and have absolutly no clue about Native American languages-- is there any truth to this?
A: Thanks for writing. The good news is I believe I've tracked down the
origin of this supposed name: Silas Rand's 1888 dictionary of the Micmac
language, which you can see here.
The
bad news is, none of our Micmac volunteers recognize this word
whatsoever. It's definitely not the word for "day" (na'kwek) or the word
for "star" (kloqowej). "Day star" seems to be an old Biblical reference
to Venus, and Rand was a missionary, so I guess he must have been
referring to Venus as well, but whatever the original Micmac word was he
was trying to write down, it's not something any of us knows.
Sorry not to be more help. Best wishes!
Further reading:
Micmac language
Micmac Indians
American Indian names
