Chef Menteur
Encyclopedia
Chef Menteur is associated with several place names in eastern New Orleans and South Louisiana
, including:
The literal meaning of "Chef Menteur" is "Chief Liar" in the French language
, and probably derives from the Choctaw
phrase "oulabe mingo."
According to one account, it was the name that the indigenous tribe of Choctaw
Indians gave to the colonial French governor (Kerlerec) after the Frenchman had reneged on a treaty. Another account claims that the Choctaw had originally assigned the name to the Mississippi River
, due to the many twists and turns in the Mississippi River Delta
region as it wound its way to the sea, splitting into bayous and swampland before the levees were built to regulate its flow, made its path untrustworthy despite its might.
Another origin for the name Chef Menteur is given in an old history book titled A History of Mississippi: from the discovery of the great river by Hernando De Soto, including the earliest settlement made by the French, under Iberville to the death of Jefferson Davis. This book was written by Robert Lowry and William H. McCardle and published in 1891 by R.H. Henry & Co. Jackson, Miss. It includes the following paragraph from a section on the Choctaw Indians:
"What the Choctaws were most conspicuous for was their hatred of falsehood and their love of truth. Tradition relates that one of their chiefs became so addicted to the vice of lying that in disgust they drove him away from their territory. In the now parish of Orleans, back of Gentilly, there is a tract of land in the shape of an isthmus, projecting itself into Lake Pontchartrain, not far from the Rigolets, and terminating in what is called "pointe aux herbes," or Herb Point. It was there that the exiled Choctaw chief retired with his family and a few adherents, near a bayou which discharges itself into the lake. From this circumstance this tract of land received, and still retains the appellation of Chef Menteur, or 'Lying Chief.'"
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, including:
- Chef Menteur PassChef Menteur PassThe Chef Menteur Pass is a narrow natural waterway which, along with the Rigolets, connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne in New Orleans, Louisiana...
- Bayou Chef Menteur
- Chef Menteur Highway (U.S. Highway 90)
The literal meaning of "Chef Menteur" is "Chief Liar" in the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and probably derives from the Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
phrase "oulabe mingo."
According to one account, it was the name that the indigenous tribe of Choctaw
Choctaw
The Choctaw are a Native American people originally from the Southeastern United States...
Indians gave to the colonial French governor (Kerlerec) after the Frenchman had reneged on a treaty. Another account claims that the Choctaw had originally assigned the name to the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, due to the many twists and turns in the Mississippi River Delta
Mississippi River Delta
The Mississippi River Delta is the modern area of land built up by alluvium deposited by the Mississippi River as it slows down and enters the Gulf of Mexico...
region as it wound its way to the sea, splitting into bayous and swampland before the levees were built to regulate its flow, made its path untrustworthy despite its might.
Another origin for the name Chef Menteur is given in an old history book titled A History of Mississippi: from the discovery of the great river by Hernando De Soto, including the earliest settlement made by the French, under Iberville to the death of Jefferson Davis. This book was written by Robert Lowry and William H. McCardle and published in 1891 by R.H. Henry & Co. Jackson, Miss. It includes the following paragraph from a section on the Choctaw Indians:
"What the Choctaws were most conspicuous for was their hatred of falsehood and their love of truth. Tradition relates that one of their chiefs became so addicted to the vice of lying that in disgust they drove him away from their territory. In the now parish of Orleans, back of Gentilly, there is a tract of land in the shape of an isthmus, projecting itself into Lake Pontchartrain, not far from the Rigolets, and terminating in what is called "pointe aux herbes," or Herb Point. It was there that the exiled Choctaw chief retired with his family and a few adherents, near a bayou which discharges itself into the lake. From this circumstance this tract of land received, and still retains the appellation of Chef Menteur, or 'Lying Chief.'"