Mayaimi

The Mayaimi (also Maymi, Maimi) were Native American people who lived around Lake Mayaimi (now Lake Okeechobee) in the Belle Glade area of Florida from the beginning of the Common Era until the 17th or 18th century. In the languages of the Mayaimi, Calusa, and Tequesta tribes, Mayaimi meant "big water." The origin of the language has not been determined, as the meanings of only ten words were recorded before extinction.^[1] The current name, Okeechobee, is derived from the Hitchiti word meaning "big water".^[2] The Mayaimis have no linguistic or cultural relationship with the Miami people of the Great Lakes region.^[1] The city of Miami is named after the Miami River, which derived its name from Lake Mayaimi.^[2]