The name "Wisconsin" is thought to originate from a Winnebago word, "Mesconsin", meaning "gathering of the waters" or "wild, rushing river", referring to the Wisconsin River, which flows through the state. The Ho-Chunk people, an indigenous tribe in Wisconsin, also called the river Whisconsin, meaning "red stones" or "red water". French explorers in the 17th century encountered this word and altered it to "Ouisconsin", which eventually evolved into the present-day name "Wisconsin".