The Cypress Hills have been known by a wide number of native and European names throughout their history. An 1882 Blackfoot-English dictionary written by C. M. Lanning provided the Blackfoot name , which translates as striped earth or earth over earth. The Cree name, in use at the same time, was , (spelled in a variety of anglicized forms including Mun-a-tuh-gow), sometimes said to mean beautiful upland but more accurately referring to an area to be respected, protected, taken care of and/or taken care with. The Assiniboine name is . The Gros Ventre name is pine trees. Early Métis hunters, who spoke a variation of French, called the hills , in reference to the abundance of jack pine trees. In the Canadian French spoken by the Métis, the jack pine is called , although it is not a true cypress tree. The English translation is Cypress Hills.