Kanata is an aboriginal word meaning "village" or "settlement."

[edit] Name of Canada

Until the mid-20th century, the Mohawk word "kanata" was thought to have been the origin of Canada's name. But, as evidenced by the journal of Jacques Cartier about his voyage to present-day Quebec^[1], Canada, in the early 16th century, Canada's name stems from the Saint-Lawrence Iroquoian word "canada"^[2], which holds the same meaning. This Iroquoian language was spoken by the inhabitants of Stadacona and the neighbouring region near present-day Quebec City in the 16th century,^[3] with words having similarities to those in related Iroquoian languages, most notably in Mohawk and Oneida.

Kanata, Ontario is the name of a former city, now part of the amalgamated city of Ottawa in Ontario, Canada, and is home to the NHL's Ottawa Senators playing in the Scotiabank Place arena.

The word is also used in the name of a YMCA-owned summer camp in Wake Forest, North Carolina called Camp Kanata

[edit] See also

• Kannada (disambiguation)
• Kaneda (disambiguation)
• Name of Canada

[edit] References

1. ^ Cartier, Jacques (2004-05-01) [1545]. Relation originale de Jacques Cartier. Paris: Tross. p. 48. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12356/12356-h/12356-h.htm. 
2. ^ Trigger, Bruce G.; Pendergast, James F. (1978). "Saint-Lawrence Iroquoians". Handbook of North American Indians Volume 15. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 357–361. OCLC 58762737. 
3. ^ Cartier, Jacques (2004-05-01) [1545]. Relation originale de Jacques Cartier. Paris: Tross. p. 48. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12356/12356-h/12356-h.htm.