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If a group of First Nations get their wish, Calgary will be renamed Wichispa Oyade — Stoney Nakoda terms that roughly translate to mean elbow town.

The Stoney Nakoda have applied to have a long list of well-known places across southern Alberta changed to reflect traditional names given by their people.

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Their application letter to the Alberta government also includes Canmore, the Bow River, Mount Allan and dozens of other sites that they consider to be part of their territory.

“The Stoney Nakoda people are the original occupants of the land and place names should be changed to their traditional Stoney Nakoda names in order to allow the culture and history of these lands to become more known and respected,” reads the letter.

Photo by Jim Wells / Calgary Sun/Postmedia Network

The First Nations argue that the English or Cree names many of these places have fail to reflect their specific Indigenous history.

“This lack of recognition contributes to an increasing threat that Stoney Nakoda heritage will be overrun.”