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submitted 2 days ago by Quilotoa@lemmy.ca to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

The world is considering renaming United States on their maps. As the indigenous people discovered and explored the land thousands of years before the first Europeans, it's fitting that they should do it. Many nations made up the area. Is there any name that would be representitive of all?

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[-] tmyakal@infosec.pub 26 points 1 day ago

There's an argument that could be made for Iroquoia or Haudenosaunee. The Iroquois Confederacy was an alliance of five different native tribes who cooperated and jointly made decisions for hundreds of years before European colonists arrived, and that confederacy did serve as a point of reference when the earliest drafts of the Constitution were being written.

That said, the US is absolutely massive and there are way too many tribes with different languages and cultures. No one word is going to be a good fit for everything.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 4 points 1 day ago

A lot of indigenous in Australia have adopted "Country" - there's small c country, which is the standard geographical meaning eg: Australia as a whole, then there's big C Country, which basically means "this place where we have gathered for this occasion" (hence Welcome to Country, which has the bonus of making dickhead recidivists foam at the mouth and fall over themselves demonstrating their own poor literacy skills)

[-] Danika7@lemmy.world 17 points 1 day ago

Another user said 'Turtle Island' - I'm voting for that too! I just love that name to bits! 🥰🐢🤗

[-] garbagebagel@lemmy.world 4 points 1 day ago

Turtle island is the indigenous name for the whole of the continent though. Similar to how they already call themselves America I guess lol.

[-] Valmond@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 23 hours ago

So turtlebody, north turtle, center turtle, ?

United turtle, common I feel there is a name to find here, great turtle, the grand turtle,

[-] Smeagol666@crazypeople.online 3 points 1 day ago

Maybe Turtle-Head Island.

[-] Smeagol666@crazypeople.online 5 points 1 day ago

How do you say shit hole in Iroquois?

[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

New England.

Canada's Head.

Mexico's Hair.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 3 points 1 day ago
[-] Kolanaki@pawb.social 1 points 1 day ago

As the head, Mexico is the beard. As the butt... Well... Kinda insulting to Mexico.

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago

Not really, as legs they get to walk away

[-] Danika7@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

YES! - I love that idea too! 👌✅🤗

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[-] Lor@leminal.space 5 points 1 day ago

Fuck Trump in any native american language will suffice

[-] FluidBeef@quokk.au 28 points 2 days ago
[-] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 35 points 2 days ago

kʷədub swatixʷtəd

Means stolen land in Lushootseed. But, any native language, or all native languages would be acceptable.

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 5 points 1 day ago

Any pointer to an audio-file for that phrase?

[-] toiletobserver@lemmy.world 2 points 1 day ago

The Internet says this is the phonetic pronunciation

kwuh-doob swah-tee-hw-tuhd

[-] Treczoks@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

Which is absolutely worthless, especially if it is based on English pronunciation, which is basically random. That's why I was asking for an audio file.

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[-] ladybugs@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

We can abbreviate it to K-Dub! Or maybe kʷə for those either have an expanded keyboard or are willing to copy-paste or find the superscript tool in whatever app they’re using or whatever. Kind of like how people shorten the country’s full name to America or the USA or the U.S.

(edited)

[-] AceFuzzLord@lemmy.zip 7 points 2 days ago

This is exactly the type of answer I was hoping to see a lot more of. Stuff actually in native language.

[-] Denjin@feddit.uk 9 points 1 day ago
[-] Quilotoa@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 day ago

That is an indigenous word.

[-] shawn1122@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

I think theyre saying it should all be called Canada (meaning settlement) including present day US.

[-] artifex@piefed.zip 31 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I love* how — in true stupid fashion — they’re naming things after America, which isn’t even the country’s name. We’re the United States of America, just one of several countries located on the North American continental plate.

That said in answer to your question that is a tough one because there are so many unrelated language families in NA. I’d probably pick something either Algonkian or iriquoian. Nituskeenan means “our land” in Cree, for example, and sounds kinda cool.

* I do not love this.

[-] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

While as an American (the continent) I find that annoying, their country name IS America. For example, these are some other countries full names:

  • Republic of the United States of Brazil (until 1930, now it's Federative Republic of Brazil)
  • Kingdom of Spain
  • Argentine Republic
  • United States of Venezuela
  • Oriental Republic of Uruguay

Etc, a lot of countries have a long name that explains what type of government they run and then the actual name of the country, the United States of Venezuela is a country named Venezuela that was formed by a coalition of states, I know nothing of Venezuela but because of its name I can imagine states have some autonomy in their ruling. And similarly United States of America is a country named America that was formed by a coalition of states, they just decided to name their country after the continent they're in making life difficult for the future generations.

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[-] Romkslrqusz@lemmy.zip 9 points 2 days ago

Wouldn’t it be poetic if the rest of the countries on these continents ‘maliciously complied’ by going all-in adopting the term “American”?

“American tacos” and “American Cerveza” sold with the Mexican flag on it, “American bacon”, “American Whiskey” and “American maple syrup” with the Canadian flag, etc.

Leave the population of USA orphaned without a collective name for themselves.

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[-] cattywampas@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

Yes but to play devil's advocate, no other country uses "America" in their name and the word is synonymous with the USA in English.

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[-] Drusas@fedia.io 21 points 2 days ago

There are waaaaay more tribes than that.

I know it was the only map I’ve found with a good format for Lemmy

[-] Ludicrous0251@piefed.zip 9 points 2 days ago

So convenient that the Pomo and Chumash kept such strict linear borders we still use them for California to this day.

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[-] Archimedes@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 day ago

People's Democratic Republic of North America

[-] NickwithaC@lemmy.world 24 points 2 days ago
[-] cattywampas@lemmy.world 12 points 2 days ago

That doesn't really narrow it down.

[-] speckofrust@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 points 1 day ago

To be fair, neither does America.

[-] cattywampas@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago

It does because "America" is synonymous with "USA" among English speakers.

[-] ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 6 points 1 day ago

How about Federal United Corporation of Kingdom States

[-] Taleya@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

*Corporate Kingdom Of States

The Of is capitalised. Very important

[-] cattywampas@lemmy.world 16 points 2 days ago

Not really, as far as I know there was no concept of this land/continent as a whole so nobody had a name for the whole thing.

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this post was submitted on 01 Sep 2026
91 points (93.3% liked)

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