Tracks That Speak: The Legacy of Native American Words in North American Culture

In France, the language police guard the linguistic periphery. English, on the other hand, is a language with open borders; no word needs a passport to make itself comfortable. In Tracks that Speak, Charles L. Cutler (a frequent contributor to American Heritage and American History Illustrated who died in 1999) contemplates some of the many Native American words that have found a second home in English. Some of those words--tepee, wigwam, igloo, potlatch--maintain their original meanings. Some--moccasin, kayak, totem--show their roots, but have been adapted for current use. Others--parka, muck-a-muck, buck, and half our state names--are such a part of daily use that one might never have stopped to consider their derivation. While others still--raccoon, skunk, moose, chipmunk, squash, saguaro, sequoia--give voice to so much of our natural world. Cutler's endearing discussions of over 70 such terms are wide-ranging in their sweep. They are historical, scientific, culinary, and quirky, as likely to refer to William Safire and the L.L. Bean catalogue as to John Smith and Chief Joseph. --Jane Steinberg