Page:The History of the American Indians.djvu/79

 ons on their language. 67

Thefe Indians, to inculcate on their young people, that YO HE WAH is the Author of vegetation, call the growth of vegetables, Wabraab, " moved by Yohewah -," for Adh fignifies to walk, or move ; and the confonant is an expletive of diftinction. In like manner, Wah-ah fignifies, that " the fruits are ripe,'* or moved to their joy, by Yohewah. They likewife call the flying of birds, Wahkaah ; as Yohewah gave them that fwift motion. And, when young pigeons are well feathered, they fay, Patche hijhjhe oolphotakab Patcbe fignifies " a pidgeon," Hi/b/he, " leaves, hair, or feathers," colpha* or eolpboy " a bud," ta, a note of plurality, and hah of admiration, to make it a plural fuperlative. But, when the pigeons, in winter, fly to a moderate climate in great clouds, they ufe the word, IVah-ah^ which in every other application defcribes vegetation, and fay, Patche Wah-ah^ " the pigeons are moved to them by Yohewah ;" which feems to allude to the quails in the wildernefs, that were miraculoufly fent to feed the Ifraelites.

Clay bafons they call Ai-am-bo ; and their old round earthen forts, Aiambo Chdah, this laft word fignifying " high," or tall : but a (lockade, or wooden fort, they term, Hooreta ; and to infwamp, Book-Hoore, from Bovkfe^ " a fwamp," and Hooreta, " a fort, or place of difficult accefs." High waters, conveys to them, an idea only of deepnefs ; as Ookka phobe, " deep waters." And they fay, Ookka chookbma intda, " The water glides, or moves along pleafantly, or goodly." That the word Intda* has Ta-ab for its ra dix, is apparent from their name for a rapid current, Tahnale, " it runs with a very extraordinary force j" the mid confonant is placed there r to give the word a fuitable vehemence of exprefllon and the word is compounded of rr, Tak* and ^K, Alt* two names of God. In like manner, Tahnha fignifies " a pleurify," fever, and the like -, becaufe they reckon, when YAH fays ha in anger, to any of their vicious people, he immediately fires the blood, and makes it run violently through all the veins of the body. Ajhtabale fignifies the reflection of the celeftial luminaries, which is com- pofed of two of the divine names ; as ttfN, AJh^ the celeftial, cherubimi- cal name of God, fignifying fire, fa, a contraction of the conjunction copu lative, and btt, Ak, the ftrong, or omnipotent. They fay a river, or warm victuals, is A-jhu-pa \ that is, the former is become fordable, and the latter eatable. They here divide AJb into two fyllables j and the termination alludes to the word, Apa, which fignifies eating.

K 2 Paab

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