Mackinaw

According to my Concise Dictionary of Canadianisms this word originates from an Ojibwa word mackinac or mickinac, meaning turtle. Explorer and fur trade pioneer Alexander Henry, the Elder (not to be confused with his nephew, the Younger) wrote in Travels and Adventures in Canada and the Indian Territories Between the Years 1760 and 1776, “The land in the centre of this island (Mackinac Island) is high and its form  somewhat resembles that of a turtle’s back. ... The common interpretation of the word Michilimackinac is the Great Turtle.” Note that Michilimackinac was a fort between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, and the name is still used for the area.

The word mackinaw also refers to a felted woolen cloth from which blankets and other articles of clothing were made. ``The original mackinaw coats were made from Hudson Bay ``Point`` blankets for the British soldiers who, during the war of 1812, fought in the neighbourhood of Mackinaw.``   Bags for sleeping in were made of these blankets (probably a lot less comfortable than our modern sleeping bags).  A mackinaw coat was short, of rough material ``much like a grey horse blanket. It is worn by most lumberjacks, explorers, miners and woodsmen in the regions north of the great Canadian lakes.`` 

A mackinaw boat, also called a York boat was a heavy flat bottomed freight boat used during the fur trade.

A mackinaw fish was another name for a lake trout.

In general mackinaw isn’t a word one hears nowadays, particularly where I live, but I like it because it has a rich history.