List of Voyageur phrases
From BWCAWiki
A collection of place names and phrases used by the French Canadian Voyageurs during the North American fur trade. In places, the Ojibwe is also given.
| Voyageur Phrase | Current Name or Translation |
|---|---|
| Avant de canot | Bowsman (sometimes also interpreter and guide) |
| Bourgeois | Agents and partners of the Company |
| Canots du maitre | Larger canoes used from Montreal to Grand Portage |
| Canots du nort | Smaller canoes used west of Grand Portage |
| Cedar Rapids | Six rapids at west end of Knife Lake |
| Cypress Lake | Ottertrack Lake |
| decharge | to remove part of the load and float the canoes |
| Decharge des Epingles | Portage/float at west end of Gunflint Lake |
| degrade | to be forced to remain at camp because of strong wind |
| Gouvernail | Steersman |
| Grand Portage des Cerises | Long/Great Cherry Portage |
| Grand Portage Neuf | Long Portage |
| Horse Portage | Basswood Falls Portage (1.5 mi.?); repaced two shorter portages used by fur traders |
| l'Anse de Sable | Point of land called Handle of Sand on Saganaga Lake |
| l'Escalier Falls Portage | Two portages out of Gunflint Lake on the Pine River |
| Lac de Hauteur des Terres | North Lake |
| Hommes du nort | Northmen |
| Lac aux Outardes | South Fowl Lake |
| Lac Bois Blanc | Basswood Lake |
| Lac des Pierres a Fusil | Gunflint Lake |
| Lac des Couteaux | Knife Lake |
| Lac de la Montaigne | Mountain Lake; Chippewa called it Keesh-Ku-Te-Na |
| Lac la Marte | Rat Lake |
| Lac Orignal | Moose Lake |
| Lac Roseau | Rose Lake. Also known as Muddy Lake. Roseau means reeds. Chippewa called it Ka-ba-govish-ks-wa-ga Saga-ai-gon. Voyageurs called it Small Fish Lake for the quantity of suckers found in it. |
| Lac Vaseux | Lower Lilly Lake |
| La Grand North | Great North; territory west of Lake Winnepeg |
| La Petit North | Little North; territory north of Lake Superior and east of Lake Winnepeg |
| La Vieille | The old woman of the wind |
| Mangeurs de lard | pork eaters |
| Milieux | Middlemen (Voyageurs) |
| pays d'en haut | "upper country" west and north of Lake Superior |
| Petit des Bois Blanc Portage | Little Basswood Portage (1st portage by-passed) |
| Petit Rocher des Couteaux portages | Three portages and decharges west of Big Knife Portage |
| Petit Rocher du Lac Croche | Little Stone Portage (at Lower Basswood Falls) |
| Pine Islands | Ottawa Island or possibly islands around/near Ottawa Island |
| Point aux Chapeaux | Hat Point |
| Point aux Framboise | Raspberry Point |
| Point Pins/Point of Pines | Canadian Point |
| Portage aux Outardes | Bustard, Fowl or Goose Portage |
| Portage Carreboeuf | Caribou or Deer Portage |
| Portage de la Pointe Bois/Point of Woods Portage | Wheelbarrow Falls |
| Portage des Grand Pins | Great Pine Portage (2nd portage by-passed) |
| Portage du Hauteur des Terre | Height of Land Portage |
| Portage du Pendrix | Partridge Portage on the Pigeon River |
| Portage Gros des Bois Blanc | Prairie Portage |
| Portage Grosre Roche | Big Rock or Great Stone Portage |
| Portage la Carpe | Portage at lower end of Carp Lake |
| Portage la Marte | Rat Portage; "marte" means "pine marten" in French |
| Portage la Prarie | Monument Portage |
| Portage les Perches | South Lake Portage |
| Portage Orignal | Moose Lake Portage |
| Portage Petit Neuf | Watap Lake Portage. (Called new because it started to be used when the route was changed from going thru Arrow Lake; see Border Route.) |
| Portage Petit Rocher des Couteaux | Little Knife Lake Portage |
| Portage Petit Vaseux | Little Muddy or second Cherry Portage. Also third Little or Lesser Cherry Portage |
| Portage Rocher de la Prairie | Swamp Portage (east end of Swamp Lake) |
| pose | Stopping points on portages at about 1/3 to 1/2 mile intervals |
| Riviere aux Tourtes | Pigeon River |
| Wooden Horse Portage and Falls | Next portage after l'Esculier on the Pine River |
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References
- References for T2K Website, accessed on June 15, 2006.
