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Somba what?

Christine Kay
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (June 21/02) - The word Somba K'e has been appearing in Yellowknife more and more these days. But what does it mean?

It's actually the Dogrib word for Yellowknife, hence the word's popularity in the city. The Dogrib word means money place.

Now, don't confuse Somba K'e with Saamba K'e. Saamba K'e means trout lake place and it's the aboriginal name for Trout Lake, southwest of Fort Simpson. The word Saamba K'e is not even Dogrib, it's Slavey. Trout Lake place and money place, they are two separate entities.

So if this isn't confusing enough, try to get the spelling straight. The 1992 edition of the Dogrib Dictionary, available at the Yellowknife Public Library, spells it Sombak'e. Now, this reference book is put out by the Dogrib Divisional Board of Education in Rae-Edzo. At the same time, the 1996 edition of the book spells it Soombak'e.

The City of Yellowknife uses the spelling Soomba K'e for the Soomba K'e Family Park.

Tim Mercer, director of corporate services for the city, says the name was recommended by the National Aboriginal Day Committee.

In a fax sent to Mayor Gord Van Tighem's office on behalf of the Yellowknife National Aboriginal Day Committee signed by Tom Eagle the word is spelt, Sombaa K'e. In two other faxes sent to show agreement with the parks name, one sent by the North Slave Metis Alliance and the other by the Dene Nation it is spelt, Sombak'e.

It seems like everyone spells it differently. So whose got it right? Well, Philip Rabesca, an interpreter-translator for the community services board in Rae-Edzo says the latest spelling in the Dogrib Dictionary is the correct one - Soombak'e.

And Tom Andrews, sub-arctic archaeologist for the NWT, agrees.

"There was no writing system for the Dene languages, traditionally. With the language bureau beginning sometime in the late 1980's early 1990's they standardized an orthography for representing all of the words in these languages. Of course there's still some give and take as to how these words are spelt," says Andrews.

He says it will take some years yet until the spelling of the word is standardized and everyone is working with the same thing.

But for those who can remember, the correct spelling right now is Soombak'e - with nasal hooks, low tones and all.