Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/67

 'The parity of their language. 55

fpecies, in their ftrong-pointing language, Tahwe ; which, though dif ferent from the divine, cffcntial, four-lettered name, in found has rr, YAH, for its radix. But, becaufe the monkey mimics Tahweh^ or the rational creation, more than any other brute, in features, (hape, gefture, and actions j in proportion to the fimilitude, tjiey give him a fimilar name, Shaw-we. This indeed makes a near approach to IJh and Tab, and to Tahwe ; but it wants the radix of both, and confequently bears no fignification of relation to either. While they urge, that the regularity of the actions of the brute creatures around them, exprefles a nice underflanding or inftinct j they deny their being endued with any portion of the reafoning, and living principle, but bear only a faint allufion to Nana IJhtohoollo, the rational foul. The moft intelligent among them, fay the human foul was not made of clay, like the brute creation, whofe foul is only a corporeal fubftance, attenuated by heat, and thus rendered invifible.

Through a feeming war-contempt of each other, they all ufe a favou rite termination to their adjectives, (very rarely to their fubftantives) and ibmetimes to their verbs, efpecially when they are flourifliing away, in their rapid war-fpeeches, which on fuch occafions they always repeat with great vehemence. I fhall give a fpecimen of two words, in the dia lects of our fouthern Indians. RI is the favourite period of the Katahba Indians ; as Mare-r'i, or IVabre-r'i^ " Good," and Maretawah-ri, or Wab- retawah-r'i, " beft," or very good, Wab^ the laft fyllable of the great di vine name, is evidently the radix, and magnifies the virtuous idea to a fuperlative. In like manner, Shegarc-Wakri^ " not bad," but Sheekare-r'i, fignifies " bad." With thefe Indians, Sheeke is the name of a buzzard, which they reckon to be a moft impure fowl, as it lives on putrid carcafles;, upon which account, they choole that word to convey a vicious idea.

Quo'is the founding termination of the Cheerake; as Seohfia-quo^ " good," and O-Je-u, " beft," or very good. Here they feem to have ftudioufly ehofen the vowels : As the following words will illuftrate, Toriate-u, " very honeft," or virtuous, and T-O.-U, " Evil," or very bad. To cor roborate the hints I gave, concerning the Indian names of monkey,, and the human fpecies, let it be obftrved, that though their words con vey a virtuous or. vicious idea, in proportion as they are conftituted out of

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