Daniel MacIsaac
Northern News Services

NNSL (July 19/99) - What's in a name?

Sometimes a lot, but sometimes the name is simply that -- a name.

The telephone book reveals a wide variety of first and family names in the territories -- ranging from straight-forward Smiths to an intriguing "B. Kahuna" entry.

But what do they mean and where are they from?

"Once you start looking at names, you start researching the whole history of the territory," said Linda Whitford, who should know.

President of the NWT Genealogical Society, Whitford helps trace family trees like those of the Beaulieau and Mercredi lines, names derived from the Catholic Church and Quebecois influence.

But over in Iqaluit, Father Frederick Homann said times have changed and that many infants are now baptized with both a Christian and a traditional Inuktituk name.

"The general directive is that the name should be chosen carefully and with reverence," he said.

But Father Homann said a little girl in Chesterfield Inlet was baptized Bo Derek, proving, "our recommendations are not always taken strictly."

The priest said his own name has its roots in Germany and that Homann derived from nobleman while Frederick can be broken into "friede" and "reich" to mean "Kingdom of Peace."

Johnny Cookie Jr.'s name appears more tangible. But rather than a sweet treat, the Sanikiluaq man said it's the phonetic rendering of the Inuktituk word for fingernail.

"People before us has nicknames," he explained, adding, "when I was younger I used to get embarrassed when I heard that name mentioned in English -- but it's my name."

Pond Inlet's Eneasie Kadloo said his names are simply names, but that he also goes by his Christian moniker.

"If I've got a friend who's a white man," he said, "I just tell him my name's Ernie." Daniel Squirrel in Fort Providence said many Dene were named after animals -- and that his surname is T'Lo in Slavey, but was translated decades ago by the church.

Camilia Zoe-Chocolate said her Fort Smith family's name also changed from its original Zacola over the years. She said she was called Camilia after an aunt, but is also open to Dene names.

"If I meet someone with a traditional name, it's interesting," she said, "but it's up to the parents what kind of name they want to give."

Camilia's sister, Mary, said she chose both the Christian name Marty and the Dogrib name Sade for her son.

"Sade means sunshine," she said, "and he was born at 7 o'clock in the morning -- just when the sun was starting to come out."