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ArchivesInola - a follow-up question
in reply to a message by clevelandkentevans
Great information!
I've been wondering the same thing as to Inola's "authenticity" as a Cherokee name. You know, if it's really (been) used as a traditional girls' name by Cherokee parents or if it's one of those cases where someone just plundered a dictionary and put the word inola out there as a "Native American name".
So thanks for your answer!
I have a related question, though.
Do you think it's possible that the name Enola arose as a sort of Anglicized spelling of Inola, at least in some cases?
I'm asking because I've seen Enola labeled as a "Native American name" by some sources (but, of course, none of them gave any further specifics, making their info look rather dubious). So do you think there's at least a slight possibility?
I've been wondering the same thing as to Inola's "authenticity" as a Cherokee name. You know, if it's really (been) used as a traditional girls' name by Cherokee parents or if it's one of those cases where someone just plundered a dictionary and put the word inola out there as a "Native American name".
So thanks for your answer!
I have a related question, though.
Do you think it's possible that the name Enola arose as a sort of Anglicized spelling of Inola, at least in some cases?
I'm asking because I've seen Enola labeled as a "Native American name" by some sources (but, of course, none of them gave any further specifics, making their info look rather dubious). So do you think there's at least a slight possibility?
This message was edited 10/31/2013, 9:00 AM
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Replies
Still wondering ;)
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Enola first appeared in Enola; or, Her fatal mistake, an 1886 book written by Mary Young Ridenbaugh. An explanation of sorts is given in the passage:
"In calling me by the strange name of 'Enola,' I wonder if my dear departed parents
received a glimpse of the future life of their child in a camera, speaking to them
of her life of loneliness," mused Enola, "for truly I am alone..."
According to native-languages.org "Some sources on the Internet claim that this is a Native American name meaning "solitary." Someone must have pulled one over on them at some point, because it's an English name meaning "solitary." Look at it closely... it's the word "alone" spelled backwards. :-) It was invented as the name of the heroine of an old romance novel, and real-life Enolas, like Enola Gay, were named after the fictional heroine." You will find a lot of people claiming it is an ancestral Cherokee name however, and it's impossible to tell if Inola or Inole has been altered by association with Enola, or if they're deliberately or naively miss-representing their ancestry.
"In calling me by the strange name of 'Enola,' I wonder if my dear departed parents
received a glimpse of the future life of their child in a camera, speaking to them
of her life of loneliness," mused Enola, "for truly I am alone..."
According to native-languages.org "Some sources on the Internet claim that this is a Native American name meaning "solitary." Someone must have pulled one over on them at some point, because it's an English name meaning "solitary." Look at it closely... it's the word "alone" spelled backwards. :-) It was invented as the name of the heroine of an old romance novel, and real-life Enolas, like Enola Gay, were named after the fictional heroine." You will find a lot of people claiming it is an ancestral Cherokee name however, and it's impossible to tell if Inola or Inole has been altered by association with Enola, or if they're deliberately or naively miss-representing their ancestry.
This message was edited 6/26/2018, 6:46 AM
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