![]() Legend 2: The Medicine Man’s Vision Background The warriors watched in horror as the figure, along with their medicine man’s beloved hat, disappeared beneath the waves. The figure, which appeared to be a man standing on the water’s surface, held the medicine man’s hat in his outstretched hand. At dusk, just as the warriors were preparing to abandon their search, an enormous, shadowy figure emerged in the middle of Bitter Lake. ![]() Although they searched until sunset, they found no sign of the hat. After the battle was over (a Blackfoot victory), the medicine man and a handful of braves returned to the battlefield to search for the lost hat. During the heat of battle, the Assiniboine medicine man lost his hat. Many years ago, the Blackfoot and the Iron Confederacy (Cree and Assiniboine Sioux) fought a battle on the shores of “what is known among the Indians as ‘Bitter Lake’”. Below are the 17 most common explanations for how Medicine Hat got its name. In spite of their differences, every single explanation has something in common, namely the inclusion of a medicine man’s headdress, or a ‘medicine hat’ ( saamis, in Blackfoot (Siksika)). Most of these explanations claim that the name ‘Medicine Hat’ is based on either:ġ) A battle between the Blackfoot and Cree Ģ) A native legend involving love and human sacrifice ģ) A landmark that looks like an Indian’s headdress. On the contrary, there are a number of different (and conflicting) explanations for how Medicine Hat came to be called what it is. ![]() So how did Medicine Hat come by such a provocative and controversial name? As it turns out, there is no clear answer. Perhaps due in part to Kipling’s letter (which was printed on the front page of the Medicine Hat News), the town decided, in a ten-to-one vote, to keep the old name, which it bears to this day. Kipling concluded with, “What then should a city be rechristened that has sold its name? Judasville.” Her success is his success her shame is his shame’ her honour is his honour and her good name is his good name.” … (A man’s city) is the living background of his life and love and toil and hope and sorrow and joy. It has no duplicate in the world it makes men ask questions, and as I knew, more than twenty years ago, draws the feet of the young men towards it it has the qualities of uniqueness, individuality, assertion and power.Ībove all, it is the lawful, original, sweat-and-dust-won name of the city and to change it would be to risk the luck of the city to disgust and dishearten old-timers, not in the city alone, but the world over… It echoes as you so justly put it the old Cree and Blackfoot tradition of red mystery and romance that once filled the prairie… Believe me, the very name is an asset, and as years go on will become more and more of an asset. ![]() “…To my mind, the name of Medicine Hat has an advantage over (other cities with similarly unique names). Fatt, the editor of the Medicine Hat News. Kipling responded by advocating the old name in a letter written to Francis F. A number of old-school Hatters, however, strongly opposed this proposal and entreated the support of Rudyard Kipling, the famous English writer who had a special place in his heart for Medicine Hat. These disgruntled citizens believed that industries might be attracted to a city with a more conventional name like Gasburg (which would reflect the city’s newfound natural gas) or Smithville (in honour of the C.P.R. In fact, some early Hatters- as Medicine Hat residents are sometimes called – considered the name to be so bizarre that in 1910, when natural gas was discovered in the area, they petitioned to change it. As is the case with most things that deviate from the norm, Medicine Hat’s name wasn’t always unanimously accepted. Although Medicine Hat has spent time in the Canadian spotlight for a number of different reasons, perhaps its true and most timeless claim to fame is its strange name.
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