Events

I'm trying to get a meet up together in North East Arkansas in October.
Message me for details.

It's because it's not an English word. It comes from the Algonkian word for "south wind."

A good chunk of American state names come from various indigenous tribes.

I believe that you, a Canadian, experience something similar.

Yup! Also, Kansas comes from the Sioux word for "south wind." But both Arkansas and Kansas are bastardized first through a French filter and then an English one.

So, to sum it all up, you have the word "south wind" coming from two different languages filtered through bastardized French and then bastardized English.