How Native are We?

One half the US states and half the Canadian provinces and territories have names that come from First Nations names with meanings known to only a few. About another third have names that are transplants: of persons or places elsewhere superimposed on the land by newcomers.

However, if we look at the percentage that these aboriginally named jurisdictions makes up of the total areas and populations of the US and Canada, we get a different picture. 65% of Canada's land and 69% of Canada's people fit into those areas with aboriginal names. In the US only 24% of the land and 37% of the people are in states with First Nations names.

We must point out that a far greater percentage of Canadian territory is less peopled, due to a population that is one tenth that of the US fitted into a territory that is somewhat larger.

First Nations make up 4.4% of Canada's current population, compared to 1.0% that of the US.

These factors, together with our respective histories since the arrival or Europeans, support the contention that the aboriginal influence in Canada is significantly stronger than that in the US.