How did chukson become Tucson?

Answer 1

In the native Tohono O'Odahm language, "Chuk" was pronounced with a hard click sound or something like "T'Chook". "Son" is pronounced something like "Sone". Together it's TCHUK-SONEwhich the Spanish mispronounced Tucson.

The Tohono O'Odham word described a place marked by a spring at the base of a black hill where they had some crops. There is still a spring at the base of "Sentinel Peak" at the old millhouse which is now private property and part of Native Tucsonan history.

Mispronounciation, or the renaming of place names, is the legacy of all successful occupations.

How the Tohono O'Dham got called "Papagos" by the Spanish is another long story. It involves combining three closely said words into one and not getting any of them even close.

Coming up the Santa Cruz valley, the Spanish asked who those people where ahead and the natives responded with "The people who eat beans" or "Ba:bawĭkoʼa".Try to get Papago from that. They call themselves Tohono O'Dham like the Germans (Roman) call themselves Deutsch. Of course, the original East Coast colonists were from Anglo-Land which we call England.

Etymology is history.