The Choctaw Word Oklahoma Means

What does the word Oklahoma mean?

The state's name is derived from the Choctaw words okla and humma, meaning "red people". From Wikipedia

Should Oklahoma change its state name because it is insensitive to Native Americans?

A Choctaw chief proposed the name for the territory, according to the historians cited in Wikipedia. (See Oklahoma.)This question got me to thinking what we'd call the state otherwise. Some place names of the kind we're familiar with include these:Kickapoo. (After the tribe--see Kickapoo Tribe of Oklahoma.)Loco. (Allegedly named for loco weed.)Nuyaka. (Creek tribe's name for New York, so that one's already taken, in a way.)Oologah.  (Named for Cherokee Chief Dark Cloud; also Will Rogers' birthplace. Rogers was s Cherokee.)Quapaw. (For the “downstream people”, a tribe native to what is now Arkansas. That state name also refers to that tribe.)Skedee. (Named for the Skidi band of the Pawnee.)Uncas. (Name for a Mohegan chief which means "fox.")Yahola. (Creek name meaning "shouter". Lake Yahola is a reservoir in the Tulsa area.)(See List of place names in the United States of Native American origin and really weird place names for others.)There are other place names with the suffix -homa or '-oma in Oklahoma, including Texoma, Indiahoma and Tunkahoma, so if you get rid of one -homa, it'd be hard to argue for keeping the others. We'd have to change those names too.According to a Texan named Erin Krouse, two of the top ten most redneck cities are in Oklahoma--Tulsa and Oklahoma City. The criteria she used were these:Percent of population who didn’t complete high schoolNumber of gun and ammo stores per capitaNumber of taxidermists per capitaNumber of cowboy boot stores per capitaNumber of country radio stations per capitaNumber of NASCAR race tracks close byNumber of Walmarts per capitaNumber of riding lawn mower/tractor repair shops per capitaSee The 10 Most Redneck Cities in America. Krouse doesn't take offense at the term "redneck". She says she embraces it. Maybe others share her attitude.So you could substitute a Choctaw name for "redneck" for "red people": Iachunahoma, or literally "back of neck red". -;>My favorite place name: Lotawatah, Arkansas. I hope they don't change that one. At some point you don't want to deny your history.

How did Oklahoma get its name?

The name Oklahoma comes from the Choctaw phrase okla humma, literally meaning red people. Choctaw Chief Allen Wright suggested the name in 1866 during treaty negotiations with the federal government regarding the use of Indian Territory, in which he envisioned an all-Indian state controlled by the United States Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Equivalent to the English wordIndian, okla humma was a phrase in the Choctaw language used to describe Native American people as a whole. Oklahoma later became the de facto name for Oklahoma Territory, and it was officially approved in 1890, two years after the area was opened to white settlersSource: Oklahoma

What is most people's opinion of Oklahoma?

I grew up in Oklahoma through college at OU … then left for graduate school at Harvard, took my first post-grad job in California and haven’t returned except to visit numerous relatives who live(d) there. So I grew up thinking we were in the “Midwest” and that the Southern Baptist rules were the right way to live (and all others were condemned to hell). I was fortunate to escape that “bubble” of provential, poorly educated, proudly untraveled and generally low income folks. There are exceptions to all stereotypes, but having grown up there - I can tell you that Oklahoma is more Southern* than Midwest, it’s statistically poor relative to other states and has a higher drug use population including alcohol than most other states (that kind of goes together). When I’m there I hear political opinions that are fear based rather than hopeful, more punitive than helpful, more conservative than progressive and generally follow church rules that are drilled into our young minds which guide us to either tow the line or suffer punishment. Rewards for success are more like, meh, don’t rock the boat, don’t think outside this box - we’re suffering here. For full disclosure, I see that I had to leave Oklahoma to find my true self because I bought into the dogma there which taught me that gay men were perverts and sissies - and I definitely didn’t want to be that. As a gay man, I now have a partner who grew up in Minnesota and thought it was odd when he and his family talk about being Midwesterners and think Oklahoma is in the South. I feel sorry for my fellow Oklahomans who are not allowed to be their authentic self, who are taught to fear and hate the “other” so they miss out on so much this world has to offer.*Because Oklahoma was Indian Territory during the “War Between the States” (my relatives refused to call it the Civil War), I never thought of Oklahoma as a Southern state. In fact, angry Southerners immigrated to Indian Territory rather than live in their defeated states in the Union, especially the southeast corner of Oklahoma called “Little Dixie”. So, yes - Oklahoma is more Southern than most people know - and those immigrants are still pissed off.

Why is Oklahoma called "The Sooner State"?

Oklahoma history is rich with the footprints of ancient native Americans, and Spanish Conquistadors, possible Viking visitors (Heavener Runestone) and the cowboys and herds of the Chisholm trail.At high noon on April 22, 1889, about fifty Thousand people lined up and left their footprints on Oklahoma in a run for the unassigned lands of what had been Indian Territory. These people came to be known as Boomers and Sooners. The Boomers were the people who made the run in hopes of taking up free land in what would become Oklahoma in 1907, and the Sooners were the folks that wanted an edge by being on the ground illegally within the area with a better shot at claiming the best locations.On that single day Oklahoma City and Guthrie became towns and had about 10,000 residents on what had been prairie that morning. We remember both sides, the O.U. fight song of Boomer, Sooner reminds us of the run and it’s importance. To us, the Sooner means more than remembering some claim jumpers and reminds us of all the Native Americans, and pioneers who made up our heritage and rich history, as well as how we all would have liked to have been here first to get the best of this great state.

What is life like in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma is an amazing state. It is my home state, the state's name is derived from the Choctaw indian ( American Indian) words okla and humma, meaning "red people". It is also known informally by its nickname, The Sooner State, in reference to oklahoma football team.Life is fantastic in OK. Plenty of sunshine, flat red color land mostly with many natural resources.It is also super intense life at times of severe weather seasons. It can be absolutely devastating - with tornadoes impacting large scale destruction. It is exciting to live in Oklahoma experience all four seasons. Intense heat and humidy in Summer, fantastic Fall, intense occasional cold front in Winter and refreshing exciting Spring time.Best time in Oklahoma is September and October my very favorite time of year for mild weather. I love all 4 seasons in Oklahoman.