Amite Bâton Rogue Chattanooga Dehradun Kennebunkport Etymology

Red Ant Red Stick Rock Rising to a Point Valley Camp The Long Cut Bank

These cities have one thing in common in my brain: they are all places I have been. When I see a city name, I always have two immediate thoughts: 1) The people I remember connected to that city and 2) What does this city’s name mean? (Isn’t the brain an amazing computer and high-speed storage and retrieval system?)

Amite brings back memories of trips Cindie and I took to Louisiana in 2012, 2020 and 2021 to visit our dear friends, Don and Melinda Yantis. Bâton Rogue is the city Don Yantis and I went to see on that first trip. Chattanooga, Tennessee brings back memories of vacations with Cindie, as does Kennebunkport, Maine. Dehradun brings back a flood of memories from 2018 and 2019 trips to India. These memories include many wonderful people and the time we spent together. Cindie joined me for the 2019 trip. But what do the city’s names mean? Read on if you are interested, or skip to the last part…

From our trip to Amite LA. Beautiful people at a beautiful place.

Amite, Louisiana: “In Choctaw, Amite means ‘red ant’ signifying ‘thrift’. In French, Amite means ‘friendship’. The Town of Amite City is located at the heart of Tangipahoa Parish.” – SOURCE Tangipahoa: “The Tangipahoa were a Native American tribe that lived just north of Lake Pontchartrain and between the Pearl River and the Mississippi River. The word Tangipahoa (tonche pahoha) is believed to mean ‘corncob people’ or ‘people of the corn’ or ‘corncob’. It is from this Native American tribe that the modern Tangipahoa Parish gets its name, as well as the Tangipahoa River and the village of Tangipahoa.” – SOURCE

Melinda and Don Yantis with Cindie and Wayne Winquist

Bâton Rogue, Louisiana: “From the French Bâton Rouge (red stick). The city in Louisiana is so named because there was a red painted pole placed on its site by the Native Americans.” – SOURCE

Baton Rogue LA – The RED STICK!

Chattanooga, Tennessee: Chattanooga is a city in Tennessee, a native name of uncertain origin, said to be either Cherokee or Muskogee; compare Muskogee cvto ‘rock’ (in Chattahoochee, etc.); the entire name is said to mean “rock rising to a point,” which might describe nearby Lookout Mountain.” – SOURCE However, another source says, “The Cherokee name for Lookout Mountain did not mean an outlook, but look at, an Indian fancy that this mountain looked at all the mountains and valleys. Chattanooga is an Indian name, meaning “Hawk’s Nest.” The first settlement of the place by the whites was called Ross’ Landing; changed to Chattanooga in 1836.” – SOURCE

Chattanooga Choo Choo and Cindie

Dehradun, India: Dehradun is made up of two words “Dehra” + “Dun.” Dehra is derived from the word “dera”, meaning camp, and Dun or Doon in Garhwali language refers to a valley that lies between the middle Himalayas and the “Shivaliks”. Other prominent Doon valleys are Kotli Doon, Patli Doon and Pinjore Doon.” – SOURCE

Cindie and I have been to Delhi and Dehra Dun

Kennebunkport, Maine: Kennebunkport “was first incorporated in 1653 as Cape Porpus, subject to the government of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Maine was admitted to the Union in 1820 as part of the Missouri Compromise). Due to Abenaki Indian resistance to English encroachment, settlers abandoned the town by 1689 and did not return until the early 18th century. The town was renamed Arundel, and the town center located inland at Burbank Hill. In 1821 the town was renamed again, this time to Kennebunkport in reflection to its economy becoming one of shipbuilding and trade along the Kennebunk River.” – SOURCE “To the Abenaki peoples, Kennebunk means ‘the long cut bank,’ presumably the long bank behind Kennebunk Beach.” – SOURCE

Sinners will be towed – Kennebunkport Maine

Identify a Follower of Jesus as a City

A man can be like a city. Followers of Jesus exercise self-control. “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” Proverbs 25:28

Galatians 5:22-24 says a Christian will be changed. They will be a different kind of city under different leadership. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

Five Minute Friday

This post is part of the weekly Five-Minute Friday link-up.

All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.