The former Moose Jaw Wild Animal Park will now be known as Tatawaw Park.

City Council agreed to the name change after it was approved by several groups, at council’s Monday meeting. The name change was given approval by many community associations.

Coun. Crystal Froese, a member of the South Hill Community Association, explained the process with the association's naming committee.

“This committee did an incredible amount of work,” Froese said. “They engaged First Nation elders, they did proper ceremonies to walk the area, and they went through a multiple amount of names, and this is the one they landed on. It was a great process and it took well over a year.”

The word Tatawaw is from the Cree and means ‘All are welcome’.

Coun. Heather Eby, though, thought that the name change would stick better if the park was changing it's purpose.

“I’m not opposed to changing the name, however I’m not sure that changing the name in paper is ever going to change the name in people’s minds, or people’s conversation,” Eby said. “When I text my friend and say ‘let’s go for a walk’, I’m probably always going to say ‘let’s go to the Wild Animal Park’, As will the hundreds of other people that do that as well.”

Coun. Brian Swanson said he supported keeping the name that had been there for 90 years.

“I’m not in favour of changing the wild animal park name,” he said. “I would be in favour of a smaller area of the park being designated the Tatawaw Area, or the Tatawa Park, whatever.”

Council approved the change Monday.