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Help[Facts] Wynema
Hi. Does anyone have any information on the first name Wynema? I believe it's Native American but can't find much information on the internet. Thanks, Susan
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I'm surprised you can't find much because I immediately found some very interesting information. It seems clear that the name Wynema entered the "general" American name pool because of the novel Wynema, A Child of the Forest by S. Alice Callahan, originally published in 1891 and available in reprint from the University of Nebraska Press. It is considered the first American novel written by a Native American woman:
http://unp.unl.edu/bookinfo/3286.html
Ms. Callahan was a member of the Muskogee or Muscogee nation of Native Americans (often called "Creeks"), and the heroine of her novel was an Indian girl named Wynema Harjo. Harjo is a fairly common surname in Oklahoma and is one of the few surnames from a Native American language to be in regular use in the USA. Since Harjo is a real Muskogee name, it's possible that Wynema is also. However, it's also possible that Ms. Callahan invented the name herself. One would have to consult an expert in the Muskogee language to be sure. In any event, it is clear from the references to women named Wynema found on the Web today that Wynema has been frequently used by persons of both Muskogee and Cherokee ancestry in Oklahoma since the novel was published. So it seems to either be a real Muskogee name, or at least one that's been adopted by the Muskogees as the name of a fictional heroine from their group.
http://unp.unl.edu/bookinfo/3286.html
Ms. Callahan was a member of the Muskogee or Muscogee nation of Native Americans (often called "Creeks"), and the heroine of her novel was an Indian girl named Wynema Harjo. Harjo is a fairly common surname in Oklahoma and is one of the few surnames from a Native American language to be in regular use in the USA. Since Harjo is a real Muskogee name, it's possible that Wynema is also. However, it's also possible that Ms. Callahan invented the name herself. One would have to consult an expert in the Muskogee language to be sure. In any event, it is clear from the references to women named Wynema found on the Web today that Wynema has been frequently used by persons of both Muskogee and Cherokee ancestry in Oklahoma since the novel was published. So it seems to either be a real Muskogee name, or at least one that's been adopted by the Muskogees as the name of a fictional heroine from their group.
This message was edited 2/21/2006, 12:55 PM
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I love this, this my Grandmothers name. She was a writer, I’ve actually been going through the poetry she left me..... perhaps the book and name are connected.... she passed when I was 17 and I’m 41 now... just good to learn. I was trying to think of an alternate /associated name and doing research, this made my day �
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My Aunt born in 1924 was named Wynema, my grandmother was educated as a teacher in northwest okla. . This all kind of make sense . Thank you for the explanation, hadn't heard the name but a few times, and was unaware of it's origin. Before she was a mother of ten she was an avid reader.
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it means "female chief" in Miwok
To my sweet muse
Every time you rip my heart out
Every time you break it
I pick up the pen I hold in my hands
And write the most beautiful poems
But you know what
If it's alright by you
I'd rather be happy than a poet
Every time you rip my heart out
Every time you break it
I pick up the pen I hold in my hands
And write the most beautiful poems
But you know what
If it's alright by you
I'd rather be happy than a poet
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