Experience Regina, I Love Regina, The City that Rhymes with Fun

Growing up in Regina, I always thought the name was silly. You got used to the common reaction that the name Regina might get some chuckles or raised eyebrows. I know it is bathroom humor, but ‘V’agina and ‘R’egina will always be interconnected. Back in the day when people were naming this Prairie town, why didn’t anyone say – this sounds like ‘V’agina!?

As a child we were told the name originated when settlers started farming in the area. Before that, Indigenous people lived in this region for many thousands of years. The area known as Regina, Saskatchewan, was originally named "oskana ka-asastēki" which translates to "bone piles." This was due to the practice of stacking long bison bones as a way to honor animal spirits. Settlers later translated this name to "Pile of Bones" after beginning to farm the area.

European settlement in the 1880s established Regina as an agricultural community and distribution center for farm materials and produce. As it grew, the settlement was renamed Regina (Latin for "queen") to honor Queen Victoria, the reigning British monarch. However, it was later believed that the renaming was actually in honor of Queen Elizabeth II during the 1900s. It served as a replacement for its original name, "Pile of Bones," which was named after the literal pile of buffalo bones that were left behind. Regina or Pile of Bones, I don’t know which one is better.

 During my decade-long career as an International Recruiter, one question that always came up was "where are you from?" While this may seem like a simple inquiry, it often proved to be a challenge for me. I would inwardly groan and think "not this again!" To avoid the confusion and awkwardness of mispronouncing my hometown's name, I began saying "REEEEgina" instead of "Riiiigina." And sometimes, instead of mentioning the city name, I would simply say I was from Saskatchewan.

As for this 'Experience Regina' campaign. Here are my two cents, not that they are worth much. On one hand, the marketing firm did its job by putting Regina on the map and increasing awareness for tourism dollars. On the other hand, we must acknowledge the countless women who have experienced sexual exploitation and violence in Regina. This raises ethical concerns and we need to give serious weight to this perspective before moving forward with any renaming and branding initiatives.

Do you think we should rename Regina?  And if so what would you name it?

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