Comment by Lyngbakr

This story reminds me of another told by a keynote speaker at a CERF conference. IIRC, the story goes that US government scientists on the west coast were trying to figure out where the salmon spawned in a certain region and thus conducted a comprehensive study. As outreach afterwards, they held a town hall meeting to inform the locals — including a panel with elders from the native community — of their findings. After listening quietly to their announcement, one of the elders asked, "Do you know what the name of that place means in English?" The scientist didn't. "It means, where the salmon spawn."