Why Names Matter — Nevada Humanities

By Daniel Enrique Pérez

As the United States reckons with its legacy of racial violence and discrimination against several communities of color and religious minorities—Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, Jewish, and Muslim—I am reminded of the important role the names of places play. Names of Confederate soldiers, white settlers, and racist politicians remain on buildings, military bases, airports, street signs, and other places to honor such people. On the other hand, derogatory names for people of color remain in use by some sports teams, businesses, and other entities. If we are truly committed to racial justice, we must reflect on the names we use—why we use them and how we use them.

The original inhabitants of what today we call “Nevada” included the Wa She Shu (Washoe), Newe (Western Shoshone), Numu (Northern Paiute), Nuwu (Southern Paiute), and Aha Macav (Mohave). They had their own names for places in this area before strict boundaries and state lines were created. Many original names described physical aspect of a place or the relation between a place and its inhabitants, like the Washoe word for Lake Tahoe, “Da ow aga,” which means “lake edge,” where the Wa She Shu gathered and engaged in important rituals. Similarly, “Tonopah” in Shoshone means “small water,” “Paiute” is sometimes translated as “water Utes,” and “Mohave” means “people along or beside the river”—a reference to a body of water that today is known as the Colorado River.

Even though Indigenous people had inhabited the West for millennia, it was claimed by Spain during the Spanish conquest and became part of a vast territory named Nueva España (New Spain). The area served as an important part of the Spanish economy as trade routes traversed the region and trade groups met in it. When Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821, the territory became a part of Mexico.

Like many regions in the US, this lengthy history as Indigenous, Spanish, and Mexican territory is evident in the names that are used today. The influence of Indigenous and Spanish languages can be found throughout the US. Names have been co-opted to the extent that some may not even recognize their origin. Like the Indigenous names above, Spanish names have undergone similar transformations: Colorado (red), Montana (from “montaña,” mountain), Florida (flowered), and Las Vegas (the meadows). “Nevada” is actually the past participle of the Spanish verb “nevar,” which means “to snow;” it describes something covered in snow, as in Sierra Nevada (the snow-covered mountain range). Most who lay claim to strict ways these names should be pronounced tend to overlook their origin or may not even know that the land on which we now live was once Native American, Spanish, and Mexican.

When pronounced in Spanish, “Nevada” does not have a short “a” sound, as in “cat.” Insisting that it’s Ne-vaaa-da, not Ne-vah-da is a colonizing practice, not much different from the way names Native Americans used were co-opted or replaced by English-sounding ones. Not only does this practice erase Indigenous and Spanish heritage in the region, it becomes a litmus test to determine who does or does not belong in the state, a state that besides having a profound and rich Native American presence and diverse population, happens to be among those with the highest per capita rates of immigrants in the country.

Other ethnic groups influenced the names of places in Nevada—the Basque, the Chinese, and more. We can honor these diverse aspects of our cultural heritage in many ways. Recognizing and respecting names early inhabitants used and the multiple ways diverse groups use them today is just one way for this state to begin reckoning with its history of racism and discrimination.

Double Down Blogger Image/Daniel Pérez.

Dr. Daniel Enrique Pérez is Associate Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Nevada, Reno. His books include: Rethinking Chicana/o and Latina/o Popular Culture, an edited collection of plays entitled Latina/o Heritage on Stage: Dramatizing Heroes and Legends, and a collection of poems entitled Things You See in the Dark.

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