… joined the Union as the 26th state on this date in 1837.
- “Derived from the Indian word Michigama, meaning great or large lake.”
- The State Nickname is the “Great Lake State”. Others include “Wolverine State” or “Water Winter Wonderland”.
- The State motto is “Si quaeris peninsulam amoenam circumspice” (If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you.)
- The Michigan state flower is the apple blossom, the tree the white pine and the bird the robin.
- Indigenous people in Michigan at the time of contact were the Ojibwa, Ottawa and Potawatomi.
I could have been MichiKen.
Addendum: The first bullet above is a quotation from michigan.gov, the “Official State of Michigan Portal.” It should be corrected. It is the equivalent of saying, “Derived from the European word …”
There are no “Indian” words. Indian is not a language.