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"Minne" is the Dakota ("Sioux") language word for "water", though it may be more correct to spell it as mni.

The "haha" in Minnehaha does NOT mean "laughing", however, but just "waterfall". "Laughing water" is a so-called "folk etymology". It might "make sense" to an English speaker that "haha" would mean "laughing", but that's not what it means in Dakota. :)

http://www.bartleby.com/61/90/M0319000.html

And of course none of this means that the word "Minne" or "Mni" was ever used as a name in the Dakota culture.

• Minnaloushe - martha sterling  Apr 17 2009, 9:23:31 PM
  • Re: Minnaloushe - Cleveland Kent Evans  Apr 18 2009, 6:03:00 AM