Kimiwan

History & Origin

Kimiwan comes from the Plains Cree word kimiwan, confirmed by both the itwêwina Plains Cree Dictionary (Alberta Language Technology Lab) and the Cree Dictionary (creedictionary.com) as meaning "it rains," "it is raining," or "it is rainy." In nêhiyawêwin, the language of the Plains Cree, the word functions as an animate intransitive verb that describes rain as an event — a living occurrence rather than a static noun. This grammatical quality, where the rain "does something," reflects the Cree linguistic worldview in which the natural world is understood as active and animate. For the nêhiyawak (Plains Cree people), who have inhabited the grasslands and boreal fringes of what is now Saskatchewan and Alberta for many generations, rain occupies a central place in the seasonal round and spiritual life. The prairies are a landscape where moisture determines whether life flourishes or fails, and rain — when it comes — is celebrated. In this context, naming a child Kimiwan is an act of gratitude and hope: an acknowledgment that the child arrives like rain, bringing life and renewal. The word's currency as a name is confirmed by its continued use in contemporary Cree and Métis communities. The Indigenous literary quarterly Kimiwan, published in Saskatoon on Treaty Six Territory, takes its name directly from this word — a publication that showcases writing and art by emerging and established Indigenous, First Nations, Métis, and Inuit creators. The choice of this name for a literary journal reflects rain's role as a symbol of nourishment, renewal, and the flourishing of things that matter. Kimiwan joins other Cree seasonal and weather names — nipin (summer), sekwan (spring), wâpan (dawn) — in a tradition of giving children names drawn from the living rhythm of the natural world.