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Paha Qué: What does it mean, and how do you say it?

Paha Qué Wilderness Inc. is a young, innovative company that makes high-quality family camping tents that take you a step beyond the others.

Campers love 'em, but when they first see the name in print, they pause, scratch their head and wonder just how to pronounce it. And, does it have a meaning?

Let's start with the pronunciation. Even within the company, you may hear variations but phonetically, here's the preferred way to say it:

So, you ask, why the accent mark on the e in Qué? That's the Spanish influence on the Southwestern native languages. (Are you confused now?)

As for what it means, you won't find it in any dictionary, and there have been debates amongst linguists about its derivation. But according to the legend behind the term, Paha Qué is the Southwest Indian version of "Aloha." We at Paha Qué take it to mean "happy trails".

It can mean hello, good-bye, how are you, have a good day, and more. Maybe a variation on the Spanish, que pasa? The boys at Paha Qué learned it from a local rancher friend who says his grandpa learned it from local Indians. It boils down to the fact that the name is surely different, and appropriately so because these tents are very different from the ordinary.

And, who knows, maybe the "Qué" really should be just "Q" as in Quality!

No matter how you pronounce it, Paha Qué is the name to remember for tents that pick up where the others leave off. Odd name; great tents.

Paha Qué and Happy Trails to you from all of us at Paha Qué Wilderness!