Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/69

 The Idiom and parity of their language. 5^7

The greater number of their compounded words, (and, I believe, every one of them) which convey a virtuous or pure idea, either have fome fyllables of the three divine names, or vifibly glance at them, or have one or two vowels of the facred name, Yo HE WAH, and generally begin with one of them ; which I mail exemplify, with a few Chikkafah and Cheerake words. Iffe- Abo-wive, " Deer-," Tanafa, Buffalo, which as it begins with the divine name, YAH, contains no more of their beloved vowels : in. like manner, Wahka, " cattle ;" IJhke-Oochea^ " a mother." This laft feems to be drawn from IJha, the mother of all mankind. Ebo and Enekia fignify " a woman." The latter is derived from the aftive verb, Akekiubahy fignifying " to love ardently," or like a woman ; Nakkane AJkai, " a man.". From this word, the Chikkafah derive Nakke, the name of an arrow or bullet : and with the Cheerake Afkai fignifies *' to fear;" as all the American brute animals were afraid of man, &c.

Words, which imply either a vicious or impure idea, generally be gin with a confonant, and double thofe favourite vowels, either at the beginning and end,, or in the middle, of fuch words; as Najfooba Woheea, " a wolf." With the Chikkafah, EaJJboba fignifies " bewildered ;" Patche, " a pigeon," and Patcbe Eaffboba^ " a turtle-dove." Score and Sbeeke are the Chikkafah and Cheerake names of a " Turkey-buzzard ;" Choola and Cboocbbla, " a fox " Sbookqua and Seequa, an " opoflum," or hog ; Ookoonne, " a polecat j" Ookoonna, " a badger ;" Chookpbe and Cbeefto^ " forbear," or, do not meddle with ; and rabbets were prohibited to the Ifraelites. In like manner, Oof pa and Ookookoo^ " a night-owl ;" Oof be and Keera, " a dog -," Nahoolla and U-uebka, " white people," or " impure ani mals." The Chikkafah both corrupt and tranfpofe the laft part of the divine name, Ifhtohoollo ; and the Cheerake invert their magnifying termination 17, to convey an impure idea. And through the like faint allnfion to this divine name, Hootto fignifies " idols, pictures, or images ;" a (harp-pointed farcafm ! for the word, Hoollo, fignifies alfo " menftruous women," who were for the time an equal abomination to the Ifraelites, and with whom they were to have no communion. Thefe two words feem to bear the fame analogy to each other, as ^tf, Al^ a name of God, and n 1 ?^, Aleb* fignifying the covenant of the holy One to redeem man, and m 1 ?**, Alvah execrated, or accurfed of God, as idols were.
 * ' a rabbet." The laft word is derived from the defective verb Chefti,

I Witk

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